Painting
ca. 1832-1835 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A young man sits on a gold chair facing a youth, who holds out his hands deferentially before him. Both wear turban jewels, the insignia of royalty introduced by the Mughal emperors but, by the 19th century, also often worn by senior members of regional courts. Their turbans are typical of paintings of Sikhs at the court of Ranjit Singh (1780–1839), the first Sikh maharaja of the Panjab. It is possible that the seated youth is Hira Singh, who was close to the maharaja and had been honoured with the title of raja by him in 1816. The young men’s cut hair indicates that they are not Sikhs; Hira Singh was a member of the Hindu Dogra family, which was highly influential at Ranjit Singh’s court. The fact that the young man sits on a chair indicates a certain status.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, young man with attendant, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Sikh, Punjab Plains, ca. 1832-1835 |
| Physical description | Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, a youth sits in a gold chair holding a pink flower, facing a boy attendant who stands before him with hands pressed together. Fountains spurt below them on the white terrace. Both are dressed in yellow. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | A youth sits in a gold chair holding a pink flower, facing a boy attendant who stands before him with hands pressed together. Fountains spurt below them on the white terrace. Both are dressed in yellow. |
| Credit line | Purchased with Art Fund support |
| Object history | The painting was acquired by the collector J.C. French in Amritsar and bought by the V&A in 1955 from his estate. |
| Production | Sikh |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | A young man sits on a gold chair facing a youth, who holds out his hands deferentially before him. Both wear turban jewels, the insignia of royalty introduced by the Mughal emperors but, by the 19th century, also often worn by senior members of regional courts. Their turbans are typical of paintings of Sikhs at the court of Ranjit Singh (1780–1839), the first Sikh maharaja of the Panjab. It is possible that the seated youth is Hira Singh, who was close to the maharaja and had been honoured with the title of raja by him in 1816. The young men’s cut hair indicates that they are not Sikhs; Hira Singh was a member of the Hindu Dogra family, which was highly influential at Ranjit Singh’s court. The fact that the young man sits on a chair indicates a certain status. |
| Bibliographic reference | Paintings of the Sikhs / W.G. Archer. London: H. M. Stationery Office, 1966
cat. 3 pp. 125-6 and fig. 65 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.193-1955 |
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| Record created | November 25, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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