A prince in a white dhoti holding a rose, preparing for puja Bundi or Kotah, late 17th/early 18th CenturyA prince in a white dhoti holding a rose, preparing for puja Bundi or Kotah, late 17th/early 18th Centurygouache and gold on paper, orange border 298 x 191 mm.ProvenanceRoyal collection, Bikaner (stamp on reverse).Sotheby's New York, Indian and Southeast Asian Art, 20th March 1997, lot 355 (where described as Mandi, late 18th Century).With Sam Fogg, London.Private UK collection.The figure bears a strong facial resemblance to a portrait of circa 1670 of Madho Singh, the first official ruler of Kotah between 1631 and 1645 (in the collection of Vinod Krishna Kanoria, illustrated in S. C. Welch, Gods, Kings and Tigers: the Art of Kotah, New York 1997, p. 42, fig. 3). He was a native of Bundi who was placed in his position by Shah Jahan, at which point Kotah was separated from Bundi and became independent. He served with distinction in the Mughal forces.