Drawing thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Drawing

ca. 1805-10 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This dramatic coloured sketch shows an encounter during the battle of Garot on July 6th 1804. This was a key battle in the Second Anglo-Maratha War, and shows the Rajput Apji Amar Singh I of Palaitha (in Kota state) on horse-back, attacking Mohammad Khan Bangash, general of the Maratha Maharaja Jaswant Rao Holkar's army, mounted on a war elephant. Both of the protagonists are named on the sketch. The Rajput forces together with Capt. James Lucan, an Irish mercenary, numbered only 3,000 men and four artillery pieces, against the 30,000 of the Maratha army. Amar Singh of Palaitha was killed in the battle, together with Lucan and most of the Rajput forces. In recognition of their services, the British awarded a large amount of land to the Kota family which still belongs to the descendants of Amar Singh, who have kindly provided this information about the event.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Drawn and painted in ink on paper with water-colour
Brief description
Brush drawing, battle scene, ink with watercolour on paper, Kota, ca. 1805-10
Physical description
Brush drawing, ink on paper with watercolour, depicting Apji Amar Singh I of Palaitha attacking General Mohammed Khan Bangash at the battle of Garot, 1804.
Dimensions
  • Height: 493mm
  • Width: 622mm (Note: Measurements taken from Maharajas loan file)
Content description
This scene shows Apji Amar Singh I of Palaitha (on horse-back) attacking General Mohammad Khan Bangash, general of Maharaja Jaswant Rao Holkar's army (on elephant-back), at the battle of Garot, a key event of the Second Anglo-Maratha War, on the morning of July 6 1804.
Styles
Credit line
Given by Colonel T. G. Gayer-Anderson, CMG, DSO, and his twin brother Major R. G. Gayer- Anderson, Pasha
Object history
From the Gayer-Anderson collection.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This dramatic coloured sketch shows an encounter during the battle of Garot on July 6th 1804. This was a key battle in the Second Anglo-Maratha War, and shows the Rajput Apji Amar Singh I of Palaitha (in Kota state) on horse-back, attacking Mohammad Khan Bangash, general of the Maratha Maharaja Jaswant Rao Holkar's army, mounted on a war elephant. Both of the protagonists are named on the sketch. The Rajput forces together with Capt. James Lucan, an Irish mercenary, numbered only 3,000 men and four artillery pieces, against the 30,000 of the Maratha army. Amar Singh of Palaitha was killed in the battle, together with Lucan and most of the Rajput forces. In recognition of their services, the British awarded a large amount of land to the Kota family which still belongs to the descendants of Amar Singh, who have kindly provided this information about the event.
Bibliographic references
  • Jackson, Anna and Ji Wei (eds.) with Rosemary Crill, Ainsley M. Cameron and Nicholas Barnard, compiled by the Palace Museum, translated by Yuan Hong, Qi Yue and Liu Ran. The Splendour of India' Royal Courts : Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Beijing: the Forbidden City Publishing House, 2013. Text in English and Chinese. ISBN 9787513403917. pps. 182-183
  • Archer, W.G. Indian Painting in Bundi and Kotah Cat. no 24, p. 56.
Collection
Accession number
IS.316-1952

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
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