Portrait Miniature of Lieutenant-Colonel John Byng (1803-1865)
Watercolour on ivory, in a glazed ebonised frame
10 x 8 cms
A handwritten label verso
Raja Jivan Ram (Active 1821 - 1850)
The handwritten labels verso state that the sitter of this portrait is John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford, research has suggested that due to the uniform depicted, this is much more likely to be Lieutenant-Colonel John Byng (1803 - 1865), the nephew of Lord Torrington. He served in the 6th Madras Light Cavalry, and the uniform depicted appears to depict one of the East India Company's light cavalry regiments in the early 19th century.
Raja Jivan Ram (active 1821-1850) adopted a European style, due to demand from British expatriates as well as Indian nobles. It is thought that he was influenced by artists such as George Chinnery and Thomas Hickey. As well as portrait miniatures, he painted larger oils on canvas, one of which was sold by Indar Pasricha Fine Arts. See: www.indarpasricha.co.uk/archive/AR045_Robert_McMullin.html. This painting was in our exhibition; OF FAR OFF LANDS AND PEOPLE- Paintings from India, Summer 1993
Others can be found in the collections of the British and Bodleian Libraries.
