Skip to main content
Lot 330

A Sikh nobleman seated on a terrace with an attendant
Punjab, circa 1840

Amended
25 October 2021, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £5,100 inc. premium

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Islamic and Indian Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

A Sikh nobleman seated on a terrace with an attendant
Punjab, circa 1840

gouache and gold on paper, blue floral border
175 x 253 mm.

Footnotes

With his long, pointed white beard, and his position in the European-style chair, with one leg tucked beneath him and another on a small footstool, the nobleman seems designed to resemble Maharajah Ranjit Singh, but does not resemble him facially. However, others, such as General Hari Singh Nalwa, and Sirdar Sham Singh Atariwala, also sported greying v-shaped beards (see D. Singh Toor, In Pursuit of Empire: Treasures from the Toor Collection of Sikh Art, London 2018, pp. 110-113, and 168-169). One or two of the various Sikh sardars illustrated by W. G. Archer also bear some resemblance (Paintings of the Sikhs, London 1966, figs. 79-91. In the same work, fig. 94, depicting Sham Singh Atariwala (dated circa 1860), portrays him in a similar chair with one leg bent in a similar way, and with a flowing white beard.

Saleroom notices

The subject has now been identified as Raja Tej Singh, commander of the army during the First Anglo-Sikh War.

Additional information