Important Raja Jivan Ram Miniature Portrait of an Officer c1830

The painting here is in overall excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, or bowing. There is some minor disturbance in the green drapery, possibly be due to some slight touchup and of no importance, as are some tiny flakes along the very edges of the painting (under the brass liner). Sight size is 4 3/4" by 3 1/2", while the closed size of the leather folding case is 5 3/4" by 4 3/4".

Note:. The painter Jivan Ram (active 1825 - 1850) is referenced in 19th-century European publications on India, but little of his work was known from actual examples. In the early part of the 19th century there began to be a demand for European portraiture, from both British expatriates and ruling Mughuls, and Ram was the first Indian artist totally to abandon the traditional techniques of Indian miniatures and begin to work fully in European techniques of oil painting and portrait miniatures, setting himself up as a portrait artist in his own right. Known to have worked in Delhi and Merrut, Raja Jivan Ram was particularly popular with British military personnel and is said to have been influenced by George Chinnery and Thomas Hickey. Several examples of his oil paintings portraying British officers can be found in museums and collections around the UK, including those of the British and Bodleian (Oxford University) Libraries.