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Abalal Rahiman

Abalal Rahiman (1860—1931) was one of the earliest successful academic painters trained at Bombay’s J. J. School of Art. His father worked at the royal court of Kolhapur, which lay outside the British-controlled colonial territories of Bombay (now Mumbai) and its environs. The wife of the English resident at court recognized Rahiman’s talent as a draughtsman and convinced the court to offer him a scholarship for his art education. His career was truncated by personal tragedies and he spent most of his time attached to the court of Kolhapur, relying on their patronage.