Bani Thani

By Rajasthani Paintings (16th to 19th centuries)

1750s · Opaque watercolour on handmade paper · Hand Painted · 19.213 in × 14.409 in · Kishangarh School

Commission a hand-painted reproduction from Panchrang artists.

Bani Thani depicts an idealized female figure with distinctively elongated, arched eyebrows, a sharp nose, pointed chin, and long curving eyes. She is often called the "Indian Mona Lisa." The painting is attributed to the artist Nihal Chand, working under the patronage of the Kishangarh ruler Raja Sawant Singh (also a poet who wrote under the pen name Nagari Das). The figure is thought to be modeled on a court singer and poet named Bani Thani, and the image is usually read as Radha in the Radha-Krishna devotional tradition.

The Kishangarh school is known for this highly stylized, mannerist elongation of features, refined line work, and lyrical spiritual mood, making it one of the most recognizable of the Rajasthani gharanas.