Radha (Bani- Thani)

Radha (Bani thani)

Painter; Nihal chand
Medium ; water colour on paper
Circa ; 1760 a.d
Subschool ; Kishangarh
Technique ; Tempera
Collection ; national museum new Delhi
Size: 90 cm (h) x 68 cm (w)
35 in (h) x 27 in (w)

Summery:
Radha of Kishangarh is the famous miniature painting of rajasthani school. famous artist
nilchand made it very beautifully. The Government of India had issued a postal stamp
on this miniature painting.
In the painting, Radha is smiling mysteriously and her eyes with womanly beauty are
worth seeing . In this artistic portrait , radhas face has been shown large in size. the fore
head is in proper curvature. The nose is long , sharp and pointed. The arched eyebrows
and lips have been shown thin and red.
The black curly hair is hanging down up to the waist and thick lock of hair is dangling
down on the cheek.she is softly holding two buds of lotus in her left hand. in her right
hand she is holding her gold studded bordered transparent chunari a graceful in
womanly manner . Her apparels and jewels have been painted according to rajput
tradition.
The chunari has been knowingly made transparent so that wearing jewels , clothes and
parts of her body could be glitter athwart. The back ground has been shown with
different gleams of dark blue colour.

​ his beautiful miniature painting depicts the legendary beauty of ‘Bani thani’. It belongs to the
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Kishangarh School of Indian miniature paintings. Bani Thani was an enchanting mistress of
Raja Sawant Singh of Kishangarh in Rajasthan. She was an quintessential Indian beauty with
her elongated face with a high forehead, arched eyebrows, half open lotus eyes, sharp pointed
nose, thin curved sensuous lips and a pointed chin over a long narrow neck. The curl of the hair
around the ear added to her innate grace.
​ he was the inspiration of the image of Radha of Kishangarh School of painting. Besides being
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blessed with natural beauty she was also an accomplished poetess and singer. In later years,
Bani Thani along with Sawant Singh retired to the life of reclusion, singing devotional bhajans in
praise of Krishna till they lost to the eternity. Adding to the richness of the theme of this painting
is the color of gold that has been derived from pure 24k gold dusts.
​ bout Kishangarh Painting: Kishangarh Painting is an 18th-century school of the Rajasthani
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style of Indian painting that arose in the princely state of Kishangarh. The school is clearly
distinguished by its individualistic facial type and its religious intensity. The sensitive, refined
features of the men and women are drawn with pointed noses and chins, deeply curved eyes,
and serpentine locks of hair. It is speculated that the features of Bani Thani might have been the
influence behind Kishangarh facial types. The action is frequently shown to occur in large
panoramic landscapes.
​ ani Thani is an Indian painting in the Kishangarh school of paintings, painted by Nihal
B
chand.
​It has been labeled as India's "Mona Lisa".
​ he painting’s subject, Bani Thani, was a singer and poet in Kishangarh in the time of
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king Sawant Singh (1748–1764).
​ ani Thani is depicted with elegant and graceful features, rather stylized, including
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arched eyebrows, lotus-like elongated eyes and pointed chin.
​One painting of her was featured in an Indian stamp issued on 5 May 1973.
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Kishangarh school
​ ishangarh painting, 18th-century school of the Rajasthani style of Indian painting that
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arose in the princely state of Kishangarh, central Rajasthan state.
​ he school is clearly distinguished by its individualistic facial type and its religious
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intensity.
​ he Kishangarh school of art is notable for its elongated style, with "arched eyebrows,
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lotus-like elongated eyes and pointed chin" a highly idealized facial form reminiscent of
Indian sculpture art.
​ ishangarh was influenced by Bundi painting in its use of lush vegetation, dramatic
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night skies, vivid movement and Mughal painting in its use of side-profile portraits,
though it can be distinguished from both of them due to its extremely meticulous details,
rich colors and fine technique.
​ he paintings of Kishangarh school are characterized by a religious fervor and this
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might have been the reason why the portraiture of the queen was compared to, and is
believed to have been inspired by, the figure of Radha.

Just for a better knowledge:

Bani Thani, the iconic beauty and talented consort of King Sawant Singh of
Kishangarh, a princely state in central Rajasthan, is considered the epitome of
feminine grace and charm and is also referred to as India’s Mona Lisa.uch has been
her enduring stature that 200 years after death, the Indian government issued a
commemorative postage stamp on Bani Thani. The stamp, released in 1973, refers to
the painting as Radha.
It is said the original Bani Thani (which loosely translates as a decked up woman)
was sketched by Sawant Singh who handed it over to Nihal Chand, a member of the
royal atelier, and asked him to capture her beauty on canvas.Nihal Chand’s face
profile of Bani Thani, done on paper, has turned her into an icon of beauty and grace
with her arched eyebrows, large, lotus-shaped eyes, sharp nose, and thin lips with a
hint of red, pointed chin and long neck. He painstakingly painted details of her dress
and adornments, like henna on her palms, nail paint, exquisite jewellery.Bani Thani is
dressed in a rich orange-coloured choli. Her wispy odhni is bordered with gold. She
wears heavy jewelry of gold and pearls and holds a lotus in her left hand. Her
lustrous tresses fall over her shoulder with a lock of hair curled over her ear.Sawant
Singh was the ruler of Kishangarh from 1748 to 1757. He was known for his bravery
as well as his literary prowess. He was a polyglot, wrote poetry under the pen name
‘Nagari Das’. He composed many poems in praise of Bani Thani, writes the late artist
Dr Sumahendra, a renowned painter of the Kishangarh School.

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 Probable Questions
1. Give a brief details on on the following painting.
2. Why the famous painting Bani Thani is important.
3. Bani Thani plays a significant role in Indian art. Give a brief study.
4. Write a short note on origin and development of Rajasthani Miniature.
5. Write a short note on the contribution of Rajasthani painting in Indian
Artistry.
6. Write a short note on Rajput miniature with 5 example of its Sub school.