early life and career ruknuddin, a celebrated artist of the bikaner painting atelier, was born in 1666 in india. he is known for his exquisite mastery of brushwork and portraiture, which defined the bikaner school in the second half of the seventeenth century. artistic style and influences ruknuddin's work is characterized by a unique blend of mughal and deccan influences, reflecting the hybrid style of the bikaner atelier. his long and established career was marked by his rise to the position of workshop director under the ruler anup singh (r. 1669–98). this close contact with the mughal sha…