Ranjit Singh's court up for grabs

It will be interesting to see how many Indian hands raise the paddle when a painting of Ranjit Singh, circa 1864, comes up for auction in London on October 7. An extremely detailed work by court artist Baba Bishan Singh (1836-1900), it consists of gouache heightened with gold on thick paper.

The 37.5 x 51.9 cm miniature has been consigned to Christie’s sale of the Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds by a private UK collection. It was first shown at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition in Lahore in 1864, soon after it was painted by Baba. Baba came from a family of artists in Lahore and Amritsar who were responsible for painting and maintaining the murals and motifs on the walls of the Golden Temple, but would himself go on to gain fame for his depictions of the court of the Lion of the Punjab (1780-1839).

The miniature, shown along with 10 others at the Lahore exhibition in 1864, attracted the attention of art historians Baden-Powell and Percy Brown, who commented that “the perspective of the buildings is incorrect but the figure drawing is admirable. The colour is tasteful and rich and likenesses are good and the expression is varied and truthful.”

The painting is based on Ranjit Singh’s capture of the Lahore fort in 1799, and being declared Maharaja in 1800. In the painting, the Maharaja sits on a terrace with his family to his left; it includes Duleep Singh, the boy-king who would be deposed and taken to England. To the right of the composition, courtiers are arranged in order of rank.

The fine detail records the precision of the pietra dura decoration of the architecture. Beyond the court can be seen an encampment of Ranjit Singh's army styled on European lines by his French general. The French-inspired uniforms are painted with a high degree of accuracy. No European presence, however, is recorded in this court.

The painting’s value is estimated at £80,000-100,000. There are other works of Indian — or, more accurately Anglo-Indian — origin in the auction, some 20 of them, including A Female Peasant of Ceylon by William Daniell (£30,000-50,000), an album of 101 ornithological illustrations of Indian birds and animals of the Calcutta School, early 19th century (£20,000-30,000), and Tollygunge, Calcutta, by Edward Lear (£20,000-30,000).

The highlight of the sale, estimated at £11 million, is a carved crystal ewer from the Fatimid Royal Treasury dating from the 10th-11th centuries (itself estimated to be worth £3 million). However, more obvious Indian treasures under the hammer include a set of stone jaalis of pierced screen from Rajasthan (£3,000-5,000), mother-of-pearl inlaid furniture (£40,000-60,000) and a Kashmiri shawl (£5,000-10,000) which might be less valuable, but could be something homegrown collectors might want in view of the emotional heritage.