A ruler, probably Maharaja Hira Singh of Nabha

In accordance with conventions of Indian portraiture, this painting shows a maharaja dressed in royal regalia, seated in a marble pavilion, against a plain background. There is, however, a quality of immediacy not often seen in this genre of painting. It comes in part from Hira Singh’s frontal pose and direct gaze (a consequence of the introduction of photography), which removes the psychological distance between the viewer and the sitter created by the more standard profile or three-quarter view. His face is rendered with greater naturalism, with no attempts to idealize the prominent nose and the jowls beneath his eyes, nor to “touch up” the grey beard. The oval frame, recalling Victorian-era portrait pendants, adds a further sense of intimacy to this image.