Raja Dhian Singh thumbnail 1
Raja Dhian Singh thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Raja Dhian Singh

Painting
ca. 1840 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This portrait depicts Raja Dhian Singh (1796-1843) on horseback. He is shown with traditional emblems of royalty, a parasol held over his head, and a turban jewel. Dhian Singh was a Hindu member of the court entourage of the first Sikh ruler of the Panjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh (r.1801-1839), and was rewarded with the title of Raja in 1827, becoming the principal minister of the maharaja and the most powerful person in the kingdom after him. The painting was formerly in the collection of Queen Mary, and English inscriptions on paintings in the same group suggest that the first (unknown) British owner acquired the series between October 1839 and November 1840, presumably shortly after the paintings had been completed.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleRaja Dhian Singh (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Brief description
Painting, Raja Dhian Singh, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Punjab Plain, ca. 1840
Physical description
Painting, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, portrait of Raja Dhian Singh on horseback.
Dimensions
  • Height: 17.5cm
  • Width: 13.3cm
  • Image within innermost painted borders height: 175mm
  • Image within innermost painted borders width: 133mm (maximum)
  • Height: 225mm
  • Width: 184mm (maximum)
24/07/2013 dimensions measured as part of Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project
Content description
Portrait of Raja Dhian Singh on horseback.
Style
Marks and inscriptions
'Raja Dhian Singh the nominal minister and favourite of Ranjeet Singh' (Written on the flap in English in the same handwriting as that on IM.56-1936)
Credit line
Given by H. M. Queen Mary.
Object history
Formerly in the collection of Queen Mary.
Production
Sikh
Subjects depicted
Summary
This portrait depicts Raja Dhian Singh (1796-1843) on horseback. He is shown with traditional emblems of royalty, a parasol held over his head, and a turban jewel. Dhian Singh was a Hindu member of the court entourage of the first Sikh ruler of the Panjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh (r.1801-1839), and was rewarded with the title of Raja in 1827, becoming the principal minister of the maharaja and the most powerful person in the kingdom after him. The painting was formerly in the collection of Queen Mary, and English inscriptions on paintings in the same group suggest that the first (unknown) British owner acquired the series between October 1839 and November 1840, presumably shortly after the paintings had been completed.
Bibliographic reference
Paintings of the Sikhs / W.G. Archer. London: H. M. Stationery Office, 1966 cat. 17, p. 141 and illus. fig. 33.
Collection
Accession number
IM.59-1936

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Record createdNovember 20, 2002
Record URL
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