Abalal Rahiman (c. 1860 – 28 December, 1931) was one of the first painters to be formally educated and work out of Kolhapur and among the first students to attend Sir J. J. School of Art in Bombay. Born Abdul Aziz into a family of Quranic illuminators, he demonstrated an aptitude for drawing, earning a royal scholarship to continue his education at Bombay, where he studied under John Griffiths, subsequently winning the Viceroy's Gold Medal. After completing his training, he became the court painter to Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj in Kolhapur, spending three decades capturing sensitive watercolour landscapes and portraits in a characteristic style that established him as a great master painter, drawing a level of patronage that his work continued to inspire in following generations. Despite the significant impact he had on later artists, a history of personal loss beginning with the early death of his mother and a subsequent grief at the loss of Shahu Maharaj saw him become increasingly reclusive toward the end of his life.

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