Nau Nihal Singh

Nau Nihal Singh (1821–1840) was the grandson of the first Sikh ruler of the Panjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He was extremely close to his grandfather and fought on various campaigns with the Khalsa (Sikh) Army. On Ranjit Singh’s death, Nau Nihal’s father, Kharak Singh, became ruler, but was overwhelmed by factional fighting that broke out at court and was eventually poisoned. As Nau Nihal Singh returned to Lahore after the funeral rites, the gateway under which he rode fell on him. He suffered only minor injuries but was taken inside the fort and murdered.

This painting was formerly owned by Queen Mary, wife of George V. From English inscriptions on related paintings from the same source, it is thought that they were all made between October 1839 and November 1840, when Nau Nihal Singh died.