MAHARAJA NARINDER SINGH OF PATIALA (1824-1862) OUT HUNTING GAZELLES ON HORSEBACK ACROSS A HILLSIDE
INDIA, PUNJAB PLAINS, PATIALA, CIRCA 1860
Estimate: £1,000 - £1,500
Auction: 11 June 2025 from 10:00 BST
Description
gouache on paper, pink-flecked borders, depicting the Maharaja accompanied by a prince and attendants on foot, aiming rifles at their prey, mounted, glazed and framed
Dimensions
Sight size 27.8cm x 40.5cm
Footnote
Maharaja Narinder Singh, fifth in line in the Patiala kingdom in the Punjab Plains, was a highly cultured ruler building palaces and forts and establishing a flourishing court studio where artists not only illustrated Sikh and Hindu texts but produced portraits, court and hunting scenes. Narinder Singh was also an important ally to the British during the Anglo-Sikh Wars and Uprising of 1857, declining to support the diminishing Mughal Empire. The Patiala ruler, having supplied soldiers and arms, was rewarded with honours and land in the Patiala region by the British. For further comparison and further discussion see: S. Stronge (ed), The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms, London, 1999, pp. 165-179, pl. 200, and; D. Singh Toor, In Pursuit of Empire: Treasures from the Toor Collection of Sikh Art, London, 2018, pp.258-259.