Sikh portraits by European artists

The collection of Sikh portraits, formerly belonging to the Princess Bamba Sutherland (grand-daughter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh), provides a unique pictorial chronicle of the Sikh dunasty founded by the legendary 'Lion of the Punjab'. F. S. Aijazuddin, drawing on material from this and other sources, describe the life and times of Ranjit Singh, his son Sher Singh, and the vicissitudes of the Rani Jindan and her son Dulip Singh, in a series of witty biographical studies. He illustrates them with portraits by European artists such as August Schoefft, who visited Lahore in 1841, Queen Victoria's court painter Winterhalter, George Beechey, Emily Eden, G.T. Vigne and captain Goldingham. He also describes the circumstances, often hazardous, in which these paintings were completed. Through these studies, the author reconstructs the history of the Punjab from the late eighteenth century to the mid nineteenth century. The main feature of this work, however, is an analysis of a large composition by Schoefft entitles The Court of Lahore, in which over a hundred separate portraits are depicted. For the first time since it was exhibited in Vienna in 1855, an accurate identification of the principal characters in the Sikh Darbar, numbering almost fifty, has been made, and the reason for their inclusion by Schoefft explained. Extensive biographical notes to each one are provided. This scholarly and lively account of Sikh ruler and their portraits in the nineteenth century is a valuable contribution both to the social and cultural history of the Punjab.