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Raja Hira Singh

Painting
ca. 1838 - ca. 1840 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Raja Hira Singh (1816-1844) was a close companion of the Sikh Maharaja of the Panjab, Ranjit Singh. He was introduced to the maharaja by his father, a member of the Hindu Dogra family, who was Ranjit Singh's prime minister, a position Hira Singh inherited after Ranjit Singh's death and held from 1843-44. Here he sits on a western-style chair with a male attendant on a terrace.

This painting was formerly in the collection of Lord Auckland (Governor-General of India 1836-42) and brought back by him to England in 1842. It was given to the museum in 1953 by Lord Auckland's great-nephew, O.E. Dickinson.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleRaja Hira Singh (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Brief description
Painting, Raja Hira Singh, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Sikh, Punjab Plain, about 1838-1840
Physical description
Painting, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, of Raja Hira Singh (1816-1844) seated on a chair beneath a canopy, with a Hindu attendant standing before him. Hira Singh is dressed in a slate blue turban, green shawl, white coat and orange trousers. He rests one foot on a stool. The terrace on which he sits has a dark green carpet edged with pink, patterned with floral motifs in white, red and green. His attendant is in white with a green turban.
Dimensions
  • Painting height: 20.9cm
  • Painting width: 14.3cm
  • With borders height: 26.8cm
  • With borders width: 20.2cm
Content description
Raja Hira Singh (1816-1844) seated on a chair beneath a canopy, with a Hindu attendant standing before him.
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Rajah Heera Singh' (The English inscription is in the same hand as IS.111-1953)
  • (Devanagari inscription)
    Transliteration
    'sri raj hira singhaji ki'
Credit line
Given by O. E. Dickinson
Object history
Formerly in the collection of Lord Auckland (Governor-General of India 1836-42) and brought by him to England in 1842. Given to the museum by Auckland's great-nephew, O.E. Dickinson.
Production
Sikh
Subjects depicted
Summary
Raja Hira Singh (1816-1844) was a close companion of the Sikh Maharaja of the Panjab, Ranjit Singh. He was introduced to the maharaja by his father, a member of the Hindu Dogra family, who was Ranjit Singh's prime minister, a position Hira Singh inherited after Ranjit Singh's death and held from 1843-44. Here he sits on a western-style chair with a male attendant on a terrace.

This painting was formerly in the collection of Lord Auckland (Governor-General of India 1836-42) and brought back by him to England in 1842. It was given to the museum in 1953 by Lord Auckland's great-nephew, O.E. Dickinson.
Associated objects
Bibliographic reference
Paintings of the Sikhs / W.G. Archer. London: H. M. Stationery Office, 1966 cat5. 8, fig. 20.
Collection
Accession number
IS.115-1953

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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