The Misadventure of Rawal Lakhan Sen (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
Although painting at Bikaner was in decline during the first half of the 19th century, interesting works such as this one were still regularly produced. An inscription on the bottom border identifies the white-clad figure as Lakhan Sen, a 13th-centruy ruler of the remote desert state of Jaisalmer. Shown as a degenerate, he sprawls drunk on a terrace, attempting to retrieve his turban. Flies swarm around his mouth, drawn by the smell of opium. A young lady reclining on a canopied bed views the old man with disdain.
According to most historical sources, Lakhan Sen was a buffoon with a reputation for outrageous and amusing behavior. Although his reign was predictably short, stories about him lives on long after he died and were particularly popular with 18th- and 19th-century Bikaner painters. While the specific tales illustrated are not known, Lakhan Sen is always shown as a fat old man, often wearing wedding clothes and behaving in an inebriated or eccentric manner.
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