-
Portrait of Ishwari Sen of Mandi
Unknown - Enlarge image
Portrait of Ishwari Sen of Mandi
- Object:
Painting
- Place of origin:
Delhi, India (made)
- Date:
ca. 1825 (painted)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Opaque water colour and gold on paper
- Credit Line:
Given by Lady Joan Amherst
- Museum number:
IS.62-1964
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This Company painting is a three-quarter length portrait of Ishwari Sen (1784-1826), Raja of Mandi in the Panjab Hills. He holds a huqqa-stem, with a Kashmir shawl draped over his left arm. The painting was probably acquired by Lord Amherst during his visit to Delhi in 1827 and is misidentified on the front as being of the Sikh leader Maharaja Ranjit Singh; a Persian inscription on the back correctly identifies the sitter as Ishwari Sen.
'Company paintings' were produced by Indian artists for Europeans living and working in the Indian subcontinent, especially British employees of the East India Company. They represent a fusion of traditional Indian artistic styles with conventions and technical features borrowed from western art. Some Company paintings were specially commissioned, while others were virtually mass-produced and could be purchased in bazaars.
