Attributed to the family of Ghulam Ali Khan (active 1817–1855) Search this
Medium:
Watercolor, ink and gold on Whatman paper (watermarked 1814)
Dimensions:
H x W: 25.3 x 39.4 cm (9 15/16 x 15 1/2 in)
Type:
Painting
Origin:
Delhi, or Haryana state, India
Date:
1815-1816
School/Tradition:
Company school
Provenance:
To 1835
William Fraser (1784-1835), India and Scotland, to 1835 [1]
From 1935 to 1980
The Fraser family, Scotland, by descent from William Fraser, from 1835 to 1980 [2]
1980
Sale, Sotheby's, London, "Fine Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures," July 7, 1980 [3]
To 1999
Francesca Galloway, London, to 1999
From 1999
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchased from Francesca Galloway in 1999
Notes:
[1] On July 7, 1980, the sale of "Fine Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures" at Sotheby's, London, included "seventy-seven lots of company drawings and miniatures from the collection of William Fraser (1784-1835)," works that had been in the possession of the Fraser family in Scotland since William Fraser was assassinated in 1835 by Kareem Khan, acting under orders from Shamsud-din, Nawab of Firozpur.
William Fraser was the younger brother of the amateur artist James Baillie Fraser, and served in India as a secretary to Sir David Ochterlony and then Mountstuart Elphinstone.
A history of the Fraser family, and a thorough discussion of these illustrations, was subsequently published (see Mildred Archer and Toby Falk, India Revealed:
the Art and Adventures of James and William Fraser, 1801-35 (London: Cassell, 1989).
"Six Recruits" was included in the sale among forty-five Company school watercolors executed in Delhi and during an expedition by William Fraser (alongside Col. James Skinner) to the Himalayas in 1815-19.
Col. Skinner employed the artist Ghulam 'Ali Khan to document the recruits he was gathering to serve among his troops (according to Curatorial Remark 1, Milo C. Beach, January 14, 1999, in the object record). See also, Provenance Remark 1 in the object record.
[2] See note 1.
[3] See note 1.
Collection:
National Museum of Asian Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company (December 4, 2019 to April 19, 2020)
Facing East: Portraits from Asia (July 1 to September 4, 2006)
Changing Tastes: Indian Paintings of the 18th and 19th Century (December 17, 2000 to July 15, 2001)
