Mir Alam, a Koh-i-stan Afghan bandit, heavily armed

James Rattray (British, fl. 1840-50), before 1847

Footnotes

Provenance
Christie's, Travel and Exploration, 26th-27th September 2007, lot 435.

The painting was later engraved in Rattray's Scenery, Inhabitants and Costumes: Afghanistan, from Drawings taken on the spot by James Rattray, Esq., Lieut. 2nd Grenadiers Bengal Army, London 1847, no. 12 ('Koh-i-Staun Foot Soldiery in summer costume').

The pencil notes include the words Meer Alam, Afghan, Hassan, Goorhund Pass, and the date August 13th.

Rattray's own note to this plate in the above work reads as follows:
The Coistaun Foot Soldiery are of considerable importance in the event of any revolution in which they may take part [...] The figure in this sketch is a Coistaunee and his name is Meer Alum. He was formerly one of a band of noted robbers, who infested the Ghoorburd Pass (the high road to Toorkistan north-west of Begraum). They were commanded by a chief called Hussun, who levied blackmail on everything passing through his mountain defiles, and, resisting every attempt made to take him, became the terror of the whole country [...] Their dress consisted of the blue, red or white loose shirt, worn outside the full trouser; 'Kummerbund' (waist-belt) of muslin of Peshawuree 'loonghee', a plaid scarf of silk and cotton mixture, from which hung the 'Kummerkeesa', or embroidered Russian leather powder, shot, and bullet purses, with a variety of useful articles suspended on fantastically-shaped hooks, consisting of diminutive hammers, gunpicks, knife and rosary. On their heads, they wore the high flowing turban, or close skull-cap. Their arms were short iron spears, shields of buffalo or rhinoceros hides; 'chroras', or straight knives from twenty five to thirty five inches in length; blunderbusses, called 'sherebuchchas' (iron whelps); 'tofungs', matchlocks, with barrels forty-six inches long, and stocks studded ivory, brass, or silver patterns; curved swords, and 'juzzails'.