Kharak Singh thumbnail 1
Kharak Singh thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Kharak Singh

Painting
ca. 1835 - ca. 1840 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Kharak Singh (1801–1840) was the second Sikh Maharaja of the Punjab and succeeded his father, Ranjit Singh, in June 1839. He was frail in constitution and unable to withstand the plotting against him that took place as rival factions at court tried to take power. His most trusted courtier and former tutor, Chet Singh, was murdered in front of him in 1839 by Dhian Singh, a member of the Hindu Dogra family, and Kharak Singh was then effectively Dhian Singh’s prisoner. He was slowly poisoned and died on 5 November 1840.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleKharak Singh (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour on paper
Brief description
Painting, Kharak Singh, opaque watercolour on paper, Punjab Plain, ca. 1835-1840
Physical description
Painting, opaque watercolour on paper, depicting Kharak Singh seated in a gold chair, set with jewels, beneath an arch on a white terrace dressed in a dark green coat speckled with gold. He has a black beard and a green turban, holds a rose in his right hand and in his left a white cloth, and faces left. The background is red, with a band of white and pale blue at the top. He appears to be about 25-30 in the portrait.
Dimensions
  • Height: 200mm
  • Width: 141mm
  • Image within innermost painted borders height: 142mm
  • Image within innermost painted borders width: 84mm
27/07/2013 dimensions measured as part of Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project 2013
Content description
Kharak Singh seated in a gold chair, set with jewels, beneath an arch on a white terrace dressed in a dark green coat speckled with gold. He has a black beard and a green turban, holds a rose in his right hand and in his left a white cloth, and faces left. The background is red, with a band of white and pale blue at the top.
Marks and inscriptions
'Cadooga Singh Maharajah' (English inscription, written in pencil on the back of the painting)
Credit line
Purchased with Art Fund support
Object history
The painting was previously in the collection of Sir William Rothenstein. This painting was bought by the V&A from the widow of Sir William Rothenstein, the former Rector of the Royal College of Art, who had built up an important collection of Indian paintings and drawings. (According to the Register this painting was given by the family of the late Sir William Rothenstein).
Production
Sikh.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Kharak Singh (1801–1840) was the second Sikh Maharaja of the Punjab and succeeded his father, Ranjit Singh, in June 1839. He was frail in constitution and unable to withstand the plotting against him that took place as rival factions at court tried to take power. His most trusted courtier and former tutor, Chet Singh, was murdered in front of him in 1839 by Dhian Singh, a member of the Hindu Dogra family, and Kharak Singh was then effectively Dhian Singh’s prisoner. He was slowly poisoned and died on 5 November 1840.
Bibliographic references
  • Paintings of the Sikhs / W.G. Archer. London: H. M. Stationery Office, 1966 cat. 12, p. 138 and fig. 22.
Collection
Accession number
IS.338-1951

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Record createdNovember 21, 2002
Record URL
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