Raj Man Singh Chitrakar
Raj Man Singh Chitrakar (IAST: rāja māna siṃha citrakāra) (1797 – 1865) was a mid-19th century Nepalese artist, who worked for the British and Nepalese courts producing a large number of pictures. He especially contributed to the illustration of natural history subjects, particularly birds, and in his watercolor painting he introduced European styles into a traditional scene dominated by votive art. Raj Man Singh was the first to apply the Western concepts of lighting and perspective, and is credited for the appearance of three-dimensional effects in Nepalese painting.
Raj Man Singh Chitrakar
Raj Man Singh Chitrakar (1797–1865) · [1] · Public domain
- Name
- Raj Man Singh Chitrakar
- Birthplace
- Kathmandu, Kingdom of Nepal
- Died
- 1865
- Occupation
- Painter
- Born
- 1797 · Kathmandu.
- Nationality
- Nepal
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Raj Man Singh Chitrakar (IAST: rāja māna siṃha citrakāra) (1797 – 1865) was a mid-19th century Nepalese artist, who worked for the British and Nepalese courts producing a large number of pictures. He especially contributed to the illustration of natural history subjects, particularly birds, and in his watercolor painting he introduced European styles into a traditional scene dominated by votive art. Raj Man Singh was the first to apply the Western concepts of lighting and perspective, and is credited for the appearance of three-dimensional effects in Nepalese painting.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q16065867 · wikipedia · Raj Man Singh Chitrakar
In this article
Biography
Biography
Scholars have described him as a pioneer in Nepalese art, although largely unknown until Brian Houghton Hodgson's tutelage.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Raj Man Singh Chitrakar • Native Name — राज मान सिंह चित्रकार • Birthplace — Kathmandu, Kingdom of Nepal • Died — 1865 • Place of death — Kathmandu, Kingdom of Nepal • Occupation — Painter
Art and background
Art and background
• Illustration — An illustration of the Bhutan giant flying squirrel for the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (1843) with credits to the artist Raj Man Singh was born in Kathmandu to a family of hereditary artists, the Newar caste of Chitrakar. Accordingly, he engaged in painting paubha paintings and other religious art. He came to the attention of Brian Houghton Hodgson, the British Resident stationed in Kathmandu who was also a scholar of the religions, languages, literature, ethnology and zoology of the Himalaya. Hodgson was looking for an artist to the make watercolor paintings of the birds and mammals he was studying for his collection, and he hired Raj Man Singh to do them. Under Hodgson's guidance, the traditional artist, used to painting pictures of deities as per ancient texts, mastered the new technique of observing subjects in their natural habitat and making lifelike representations on paper. He produced thousands of works of remarkable quality for Hodgson from the 1820s to the 1850s.
Identity
Identity
Raj Man Singh Chitrakar is recorded with the occupation scientific illustrator. Recorded as painter, scientific illustrator and artist.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1797
Raj Man Singh Chitrakar was born on 1 January 1797.
1865
Raj Man Singh Chitrakar died on 1 January 1865.
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
- Ilustrando Nepāl en el siglo XIX. El dibujo de Raj Man Singh Chitrakar, Boletín de Arte, 2023
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2023
reference work
- “Raj Man Singh Chitrakar”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q16065867: Raj Man Singh Chitrakar
General reference · Wikidata
Honors
• Illustration — Koklass pheasant by Raj Man Singh The little-known Raj Man Singh has recently been recognized as a leading figure following revelations of his ground-breaking work. On 31 December 2012, the Postal Services Department of the government of Nepal issued two commemorative postage stamps showing a portrait of the artist to honor his contribution to the development of 19th century art in Nepal. The stamps also show examples of his watercolor paintings of birds and mammals.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Chitrakar, Madan. Nepali Art. Teba-Chi Studies Centre. 113–121. 2012. 978-9937-2-4933-1.
- 2.Joshi, Harihar Raj. The First Nepali Pioneer Artist: Raj Man Singh Chitrakar. Nepal Studies. 2005. 9781935041405.
- 3.The Hodgson Drawings Collection. Natural History Museum.
- 4.Subedi, Abhi. Of history and art. The Kathmandu Post. 13 October 2012.
- 5.Chitrakar, Madan. Nepali Art. Teba-Chi Studies Centre. 113–121. 2012. 978-9937-2-4933-1.
- 6.Commemorative stamps issued. The Kathmandu Post. 1 January 2013.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Ilustrando Nepāl en el siglo XIX. El dibujo de Raj Man Singh Chitrakar, Boletín de Arte, 2023Crossref registry
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 20 August 2026.
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