Ranjit Singh
Painting
ca. 1838 - ca. 1840 (made)
ca. 1838 - ca. 1840 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This conventional portrait of the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh (r. 1801-1839) shows him riding a white stallion through a sketchily depicted landscape accompanied by a bearer. The unknown artist has included the traditional indications of royalty, the halo and parasol, derived from Mughal painting.
The portrait was given to the museum in 1953 by O.E. Dickinson, the great-nephew of Lord Auckland, Governor-General of India (1836-1842), who brought it back to England in 1842. Lord Auckland had visited the Sikh court in 1838 where he must have acquired this painting, with six others that were also given to the museum.
The portrait was given to the museum in 1953 by O.E. Dickinson, the great-nephew of Lord Auckland, Governor-General of India (1836-1842), who brought it back to England in 1842. Lord Auckland had visited the Sikh court in 1838 where he must have acquired this painting, with six others that were also given to the museum.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Ranjit Singh (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, Ranjit Singh on horseback, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Punjab Plains (Sikh), ca. 1838-1840 |
| Physical description | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Ranjit Singh, wearing a dark green coat and trousers and a yellow turban, rides a white stallion with a red saddle-cloth edged with gold. He faces right. An attendant in green turban and yellow jama holds a red parasol flecked with gold over the maharaja. The landscape is sketchily indicated by means of a stippled green foreground with clumps of plants, and a pale blue background. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Content description | Ranjit Singh, wearing a dark green coat and trousers and a yellow turban, rides a white stallion with a red saddle-cloth edged with gold. He faces right. An attendant in green turban and yellow jama holds a red parasol flecked with gold over the maharaja. The landscape is sketchily indicated by means of a stippled green foreground with clumps of plants, and a pale blue background. |
| Marks and inscriptions | Maharaja Runjeet Singh |
| Credit line | Given by O. E. Dickinson |
| Object history | The painting was formerly in the collection of Lord Auckland, Governor-General of India (1836-42) and brought by him to England in 1842. It was given to the museum by his great-nephew O. E. Dickinson in 1953. |
| Production | Sikh |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This conventional portrait of the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh (r. 1801-1839) shows him riding a white stallion through a sketchily depicted landscape accompanied by a bearer. The unknown artist has included the traditional indications of royalty, the halo and parasol, derived from Mughal painting. The portrait was given to the museum in 1953 by O.E. Dickinson, the great-nephew of Lord Auckland, Governor-General of India (1836-1842), who brought it back to England in 1842. Lord Auckland had visited the Sikh court in 1838 where he must have acquired this painting, with six others that were also given to the museum. |
| Associated objects | |
| Bibliographic reference | Paintings of the Sikhs / W.G. Archer. London: H. M. Stationery Office, 1966
cat. 5, pp. 127-128 and fig. 17. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.111-1953 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | July 18, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
