A Sikh ruler shoots wild boar from a platform

This painting illustrates the regional court style that was experiencing a fluorescence in the Punjab region during the time of the ascent of the Sikh courts. Pahari painting, the school of the Punjab Hills, was produced in the courts of both Hindu and Sikh rulers. The style succeeded in combining indigenous Indian painting traditions with Mughal trends, producing many specifically identifiable court scenes in separate kingdoms.

This painting was probably produced in the Hindu kingdom of Nurpur during the early 19th century (approx. 1820–1830). The dynamic subject matter is a moment of lively action during a hunt of boar and other game, a popular pastime of kings. The busy composition shows the king's men hunting on horseback and on foot, using different weapons and in various stages of success with their activities. The detailed scene includes a far-off audience hidden away in the upper corners. The Sikh ruler and his men are easily identifiable as such by their turbans and beards. The scene reveals the arranged nature of some royal hunts, where wild animals were brought into shooting range of the king, who aimed at them from safe quarters. The court artist who made this picture may have been Hindu or Muslim, perhaps a recent arrival from the Mughal courts where patronage had declined considerably, causing the migration of artists.