ARTS OF INDIA

113
MAHARAJA BAHADUR SHRI SHRI
ISHWARI PRASAD NARAYAN SINGH OF
BENARES
NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 1889
Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper,
the Maharaja riding a large brown stallion with
an ornate animal lattice saddle cover with a dog
in front and army oficers behind, a tent crowned
with a golden statue of a lady holding a standard
with a fsh, a river with steamboats and a cityscape
behind with steps leading down to the river and a
large mosque, set inside polychrome foral borders
reserved against gold ground
Painting 12º x 16Ωin. (31.2 x 41.2cm.);
folio 16¿ x 20¿in. (40.8 x 50.8cm.)
£7,000-10,000 $10,000-14,000
€8,800-12,000
The inscription translates as: ‘Portrait of Khurshid
[…] Shri Maharaja Ish[wa]ri Prasad Narayan Singh
Bahadur Kashi Naresh on a horse […] Murad […]
Oficer […] and Ghulam Husayn the attendant at his
stirrup and a dog [...] .‘
Maharaja Shri Shri Ishwari Prasad Narayan Singh
(r.1835-89), was granted the title of Maharaja in
1889 for staying loyal to the British during the
Indian Rebellion of 1857. Unfortunately he passed
away shortly after being granted the title.
114
A COMPANY SCHOOL STUDY FOR PAINTINGS OF DERVISHES
AND SMITHS
SCHOOL OF GHULAM ‘ALI, DELHI, NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 1830
Ink and transparent pigments on paper, the verso with a group of seated
merchants, two smoking a huqqa, the scene set in a sparse interior, the recto
with fve standing fgures, each wearing diferent garments, with numerous
Urdu identifcation inscriptions, old losses
10 x 16in. (25.5 x 40.4cm.)
£3,000-4,000 $4,300-5,700
€3,800-5,000
Ghulam ‘Ali Khan was one of the foremost Indian artists, based in Delhi,
working for the Europeans in India during the frst half of the 19th century.
113
He is known for the work he did both for Colonel Skinner and the Fraser
brothers (compiled in the Fraser album), as well as under the patronage
of the Mughal court. This was a period which saw the development of the
Company school - a realistic style of painting for British residents in India,
blending former indigenous methods with European techniques such as
watercolour. Local artists adapted their style aiming accurately to document
the world around them for their new patrons. Features of this work are
reminiscent of Ghulam ‘Ali’s hand. The faces of the characters are depicted
realistically but also clearly by an artist trained in the Mughal tradition with
the miniaturist’s attention to minute detail.
The dervishes identifed in this drawing are (from right to left):
1. ‘Arif ‘Ali Shah, the Rasul Shahi dervish, the traveller
2. ‘Urat-nama Shaykhani, resident of Calcutta, the questioner
3. Muna Shah, the renouncer of worldly concerns, resident of Hapur
4. Bivari Das Biragi ... resident of Narnul
5. Karim Shah ... devotee of the Chishti
The other side reads: ‘Smith’s workshop, with instructions for colouring it’.
114 (verso) 114 (recto)
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