Going against the anonymity that is almost a defining condition of the arts of India, this book concerns itself with one individual painter, Nainsukh. It illustrates with detailed notes all the works known to be Nainsukh's and all the author believes can be attributed to him -- 99 works spanning the years 1730 to 1775.Nainsukh left behind a wealth of work: portraits, court scenes, elaborate compositions with scenes of the hunt and riding picnics and soirees, iconic images, renderings of musical themes. There are finished paintings, painted sketches, tinted drawings, the barest outlines. Nainsukh worked with brush and reed-pen, used thin washes of pigment or richly saturated colors, and drew in black or sepia or vermilion. Whatever he did he managed to invest with great elegance and classical balance.
