Painting

The portrait of a high-ranking Sikh member of the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (r. 1801-1839) is so far unidentified and is by an anonymous artist. His status is evident from his turban jewels and plume, ornaments reserved for the elite and implying that the wearer had been awarded a title. Painting flourished during Ranjit Singh's reign, and artists trained in the remote Hindu hill kingdoms were attracted to new patronage in the plains, notably at the centres of Lahore and Amritsar. They were employed by the maharaja himself, or by other leading figures of the very mixed court, which also included Europeans in the service of Ranjit Singh.