Ghulam Ali Khan was one of the foremost Indian painters in Delhi in the first half of the 19th Century.
He was employed by the households of Mughal emperors Akbar II (reigned 1806-37) and Bahadur Shah II (reigned 1837-58). His work encompassed portraits and topographical views, as well as paintings which in sense combine the two, such as the painting depicting the durbar of Colonel James Skinner. After portraits of the penultimate Mughal Emperor, Akbar II, Ghulam Ali Khan was commissioned to paint the accession portrait of Bahadur Shah II enthroned. Versions of it exist in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, and in the Nasser D. Khalili collection in London.
He created a series of 31 paintings circa 1852-1854, consisting of views of monuments in and around Delhi, and including four portraits of Emperor Bahadur Shah II and his sons. The work was done in watercolour and gold on paper, with black margin rules, all with identifying inscriptions in English and in Persian in nasta'liq script.[1]
He also worked outside of Delhi, working for more than ten years at the courts of Jhajjar and the Alwar court of Raja Baani Singh. He was closely associated with East India Company figures, notably William Fraser and James Skinner.
Works
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Bahadur Shah II enthroned with Mirza Fakhruddin, 1837–38 (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian) -
Thakur Dawlat Singh among Courtiers, 1825 (David Collection)
References
Further reading
- L. Y. Leach. Paintings from India. Nasser D. Khalili Collection, London 1998. pp. 161-163.
- Y. Sharma. 'In the Company of the Mughal Court: Delhi Painter Ghulam 'Ali Khan', in W. Dalrymple, Y. Sharma (ed.) Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi 1707-1857. New Haven 2012, pp. 41-51.
- J. P. Losty, M. Roy. Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire. London 2012. pp. 217-220.
External links
Media related to Ghulam Ali Khan at Wikimedia Commons