
Matthew Thomas
Senior Specialist
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Senior Specialist
George Willison (1741-97) painted a full-length portrait of the Nawab in 1774, as well as other paintings depicting members of the family. The composition was borrowed, and reversed, from Tilly Kettle's portrait of 1770.
It has been suggested that the present painting may be attributed to Carl von Imhoff. After military service in Germany Baron Carl Von Imhoff (1734-88) became a portrait painter in London and copyist of oils. In 1769 he travelled to India as a cadet of the East India Company, on the same ship as Warren Hastings, to whom he 'loaned' his own mistress. It was this relationship, and the financial 'compensation' resulting from it, which allowed von Imhoff to set up as a portrait painter in Madras until 1774, when he returned to Germany.