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Dina Nath

Painting
ca. 1835-1845 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Dina Nath (1795-1857) was a civil administrator and counsellor of great influence at the Sikh court of the Panjab for over three decades. He was made finance minister by Maharaja Ranjit Singh (r. 1801-1839) in 1834, and eventually became a member of the Regency Council of Dulip Singh, the last ruler of the kingdom. In this lightly drawn portrait that was probably done between about 1835 and 1845, he is depicted sitting on the ground holding a petition, with his pen case and a bundle of documents before him. The painting was given to the museum by Miss M.W. Patterson in 1953.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleDina Nath (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Drawn and painted using a brush, in ink with watercolour on paper
Brief description
Painting, Dina Nath, watercolour on paper, Sikh, Punjab Plains, ca. 1835-1845
Physical description
Painting, in watercolour on paper, Dina Nath seated holding a petition and facing right, to the right of the face is a second profile, also Dina Nath's.
Dimensions
  • Height: 140cm
  • Width: 130cm (maximum)
27/07/2013 dimensions measured as part of Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project 2013; object irregular in shape.
Content description
Dina Nath seated holding a petition and facing right, to the right of the face is a second profile, also Dina Nath's.
Marks and inscriptions
(This is written in Persian on the reverse of the picture. WGA, p. 160, notes the presence of a takri inscription,'thari dinanatha', making the same identification of the portrait.)
Translation
'Dina Nath officer of the exchequer [or archives]'
Transliteration
'dinanath daftari'
Credit line
Given by Miss M. W. Patterson
Production
Sikh
Subjects depicted
Summary
Dina Nath (1795-1857) was a civil administrator and counsellor of great influence at the Sikh court of the Panjab for over three decades. He was made finance minister by Maharaja Ranjit Singh (r. 1801-1839) in 1834, and eventually became a member of the Regency Council of Dulip Singh, the last ruler of the kingdom. In this lightly drawn portrait that was probably done between about 1835 and 1845, he is depicted sitting on the ground holding a petition, with his pen case and a bundle of documents before him. The painting was given to the museum by Miss M.W. Patterson in 1953.
Bibliographic reference
Paintings of the Sikhs / W.G. Archer. London: H. M. Stationery Office, 1966 p. 160, cat. no. 34, fig. 81.
Collection
Accession number
IS.174-1953

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Record createdNovember 22, 2002
Record URL
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