Raja Prithi Singh Meeting Zabardast Khan

Two noblemen sit facing each other on a marble terrace in a garden. The man at the center, identified by inscription as Raja, or prince, Prithi Singh, wears a jeweled turban, a double pearl earring, and a necklace. He sits on a rug decorated with a complex floral design; matching cushions are beside him. The other man, identified as Zabardast Khan and seated below the prince, wears a similar white, patterned robe called a jama, but is more humbly attired, lacking any jewelry. Another figure, a young man, stands behind the prince, attending him with a fly whisk. All three have swords with hilts similar to the tegha in the AMAM collection (1933.32). The two seated men also carry dhal, the shields slung on braided cords around their necks and held resting on their knees.

Portraiture was an important type of painting at the Rajput courts, recording key people and events. Often, a painting like this was commissioned by the ruler as a gift to the other person in the painting and a symbol of their relationship. Research on the specific subject of this painting is ongoing.