Beschreibung:

A E Harris (British, 1865-1951) A pair of portraits of Indian Princes, possibly from Cossimbazar, the Prince and his heir, both wearing the same diamond turban sarpech with egret feathers, the older Maharajah decorated with three medals - the Delhi Durbar Medal of 1903, the 1875 Royal Visit Medal (commemorating the visit of HRH Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales) and the Empress of India Medal (given on the occasion of the 1877 Imperial Assemblage in Delhi when HM Queen Victoria was declared Empress of India) one signed "A E Harris" oil on canvas (a pair) h:123 w:100 cm Provenance: From an Indian private collection. A E Harris, a painter of portraits and landscapes was born in Birmingham. He studied at the Cardiff School of Art, Hatherley's School of Art and South Kensington College of Art. In 1890, he arrived in Bombay and worked for the photographic firm of Johnson and Hoffman. In 1897, he moved to Calcutta to set up his own portrait studio. During his 37 year stay in India he painted portraits in oils of many Indian princes and British administrators. The two present sitters are wearing the same diamond and probably emerald sarpech; a status symbol of Royalty and usually reserved for Rajas and Princes. A Sarpech is a type of turban ornament, often jewelled as the one seen here, worn at the front of a turban whereby a feather or plume is inserted, often from a bird that is native to the region of the wearer. Around the younger sitter's neck we can see an impressive single row cushion cut diamond riviere and two strands of uniformly sized saltwater pearls, most often sourced from the southern Indian Gulf of Mannar. This diamond riviere is also present in the portrait of the older sitter, worn on his person as a chain looped from his fob and chain, under his medals. The fact that the two sitters are wearing the same jewels indicates that the younger sitter may be the son or successor of the older sitter. Sometimes rulers would adopt an heir rather than naming a son as successor, which would explain the difference in facial features. The younger of the sitters is wearing an alkalack with a bib front and the older is wearing typical court dress with tunic The portraits are likely to have been painted circa 1903-4 and certainly before 1911 when, if still alive, the older sitter would almost certainly have received the 1911 Durbar medal. Around 220 Empress of India medals were issued in total. The medals in the present portrait have been painted in a way not typical with how they would have been worn; in reality Indian princes often wore medals on longer ribbons around their neck and the two British Empire medals would have been larger than the Delhi Durbar medal. The way they have been represented in the present portrait indicates that it was painted by a British artist. It has been suggested that the older man may possibly be The Hon Maharaja Manindra Chandra Nandi of Cossimbazar or his predecessor, however this has not been verified. This man was received by the King Emperor during a reception at Calcutta after the 1911 Delhi Durbar. Cossimbazar (sometimes Kassimbazar) was an ancient ruined city in the Murshidabad state near Calcutta. Murshidabad was ruled by a Muslim prince. We are very grateful to Jeffery Bates for his assistance with the catalogue entry.