Bust portrait of Ahmad Baksh Khan
Painting
ca. 1810 (painted)
ca. 1810 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This painting depicts Ahmad Baksh Khan, Nawab of Firozpur in the Panjab, and was made by an unknown artist in Delhi around 1810. The nawab was a distinguished chief who gave assistance to the British during the Second Maratha War of 1802-1803. He was the agent of the Alwar Raja in his dealings with Lord Lake, and in gratitude the British granted him the district of Loharu in hereditary rent-free tenure as well as Firozpur, one of the little states surrounding the British territory.
'Company paintings' is the conventional denomination for works produced by Indian artists for Europeans living and working in the Indian subcontinent, especially British employees of the East India Company. They represent a fusion of traditional Indian artistic styles with conventions and technical features borrowed from western art. Some Company paintings were specially commissioned, while others were virtually mass-produced and could be purchased in bazaars.
'Company paintings' is the conventional denomination for works produced by Indian artists for Europeans living and working in the Indian subcontinent, especially British employees of the East India Company. They represent a fusion of traditional Indian artistic styles with conventions and technical features borrowed from western art. Some Company paintings were specially commissioned, while others were virtually mass-produced and could be purchased in bazaars.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Bust portrait of Ahmad Baksh Khan (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour on paper with gold shell.
In 1992 this piece was published as being painted in gouche. On further examination in 2017 by our paper conservator and miniature portrait specialist, it was confirmed as being painted in watercolour with added embelishment of gold shell. |
| Brief description | Painting, Bust portrait of Ahmad Baksh Khan, Delhi, ca.1810 |
| Physical description | Ahmad Baksh Khan is portrayed here with a white beard and moustache, he wears a black hat and gold brocade coat and is holding a huqqa mouthpiece. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label | PORTRAIT OF AHMAD BAKHSH KHAN (1806-27)
Watercolour on paper with gold shell
Delhi
c. 1810
O3552 (IS)
Presented by General Briggs
Ahmad Bakhsh Khan, the distinguished Nawab chief of Firozpur is depicted here holding the mouthpiece of a huqqa or waterpipe. His allegiance to the British in the Second Maratha War (1802-03) was rewarded in the form of land and hereditary rent-free tenure in Loharu, in the state of Harayana. He was a friend of the colonial administrator Lord Metcalf, whose own miniature portrait he cherished(01/08/2017) |
| Credit line | Given by General Briggs and transferred from the India Museum |
| Object history | Given by General Briggs and transferred from the India Museum, 1879. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This painting depicts Ahmad Baksh Khan, Nawab of Firozpur in the Panjab, and was made by an unknown artist in Delhi around 1810. The nawab was a distinguished chief who gave assistance to the British during the Second Maratha War of 1802-1803. He was the agent of the Alwar Raja in his dealings with Lord Lake, and in gratitude the British granted him the district of Loharu in hereditary rent-free tenure as well as Firozpur, one of the little states surrounding the British territory. 'Company paintings' is the conventional denomination for works produced by Indian artists for Europeans living and working in the Indian subcontinent, especially British employees of the East India Company. They represent a fusion of traditional Indian artistic styles with conventions and technical features borrowed from western art. Some Company paintings were specially commissioned, while others were virtually mass-produced and could be purchased in bazaars. |
| Bibliographic reference | Archer, Mildred. Company Paintings Indian Paintings of the British period
Victoria and Albert Museum Indian Series London: Victoria and Albert Museum, Maplin Publishing, 1992 155 p. ISBN 0944142303 |
| Other number | 11,650 - India Museum Slip Book |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 03552(IS) |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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