1890
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Rajah Birbar (Birbal) is a 1890 paint by Nandalal, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a man in bright, simple clothes—white shirt, purple skirt, and a green hat. He stands on a small patch of grass, holding something in one hand while gesturing with the other. The background is mostly empty, with a light blue sky and a wavy line at the top. The border is packed with colorful flowers and swirling vines in red, green, and purple. The name "Rajah Birbar" is written at the bottom, and the whole scene looks clean and flat, like a storybook illustration. If you like this style, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum for more works like it.
The painting depicts Rajah Birbar, a prominent figure known as Emperor Akbar's favoured adviser, rendered in opaque watercolour and gold on paper. Birbar is shown wearing a white tunic paired with pink trousers while holding a sword.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Nandalal Bose (3 December 1882 – 16 April 1966) was one of the pioneers of modern Indian art and a key figure of Contextual Modernism.
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