Explore the history of a set of Indian miniatures in this article by Megan Dudley, written as part of a research placement on the Welbeck Estate. Discover how colonialism impacted the production and consumption of art in 19th and 20th century India.
This set of miniatures features a total of 21 portrait miniatures and 12 architectural miniatures. The miniatures are framed, and the nine larger portraits are labelled with the identities of those depicted.
To understand the set’s close ties to colonialism and its place in the Portland Collection, we must begin with its production.
The Company Style
The miniatures are painted in the Company Style, a broad term used to describe a variety of styles that combined into Indo-European painting techniques. The style name derives from its association with the East India Company, a colonial trading empire.
This combination often manifested in the blending of European techniques, such as tonal shading and linear perspective, with the Indian miniature tradition and its use of vibrant colours. Company paintings are distinguished by the use of watercolour, instead of gouache, on paper. Artists in Delhi, however, were unique in using ivory as a base. The subject matter of Company paintings was also distinct from traditional Indian paintings. Because the commissioning of paintings was used as a way of ethnographic documentation, their subjects were very rarely imaginary.
The impact of European styles on Indian art began with European artists travelling to India. Painters such as Tilly Kettle, William Hodges, Charles d’Oyly and F. B. Solvyns travelled to India and documented life there through paintings. This documentary style led to Company artists adopting naturalism.
Charles d’Oyly’s father, for instance, was part of the East India Company, and Charles was born in India in 1781. Charles d’Oyly became the aide-de-camp of the Governor-General, and he published several albums depicting Indian colonial life.
Commissioned Art
With the decline of the Mughal Empire, patronage of artists equally declined, leaving Indian artists searching for paid work elsewhere. This led the East India Company to begin commissioning Indian artists to document life in colonial India.
The very existence of the Company style shows how ingrained colonialism was in the production of art in India. It was the rising presence of the East India Company that caused the decline in patronage from the Mughal court, forcing Indian artists to work for Western patrons and align their style to European tastes.
Indian artists, however, began to use this Western interest to their advantage. By the 19th century, artists had begun to mass-produce sets of popular subjects in the Company style to be sold as souvenirs to European tourists. Though they were still subject to the tastes of Western tourists and went without the status of recognised artists, this provided Indian artists a chance to make their own money.
Kedleston Hall and Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India
The miniatures at Kedleston Hall provide a clue to how this set of miniatures got to Welbeck. Kedleston Hall was the seat of the Curzon family and therefore the home of Lord George Nathaniel Curzon, the Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905. It houses the immense number of items that Curzon acquired during his travels across Asia and the Middle East, several of which come from his time in India. Lord Curzon was close friends with William and Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke and Duchess of Portland.
Portrait of George Nathaniel Curzon, Marquess Curzon of Kedleston by John Cooke, after John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas, 1914-1932, based on a work of 1914 NPG 2534 © National Portrait Gallery, London
This provides a potential source for the Indian miniatures in the Portland Collection. Perhaps they were one of these standard sets, as several similar sets can be found in the collections at Kedleston Hall and the V&A. These other sets include a similar central disc featuring nine miniatures with near-identical patterns used on the backgrounds.
The collection at Kedleston Hall has seven framed miniatures. The similarities between the Portland Collection miniatures and those at Kedleston Hall do not stop here. In both, the frame is made of a very similar dark wood, and the miniatures are surrounded by a gold frame. The miniatures are also labelled in an identical font to the labels on the set in our museum. This suggests that these miniatures were all framed by the same maker, who has been identified as Alfred J. Mucklow. Mucklow was a frame maker, carver, and gilder who appears to have been rather prolific. However, Mucklow’s other work is quite varied. This style of frame, especially the gold surround and labelling, seems to have been used specifically for this collection of miniatures.
This presents two options for how the miniatures got to Welbeck. Lord Curzon could have given this set as a gift to the 6th Duke and Duchess of Portland, especially considering that he visited in Welbeck in 1913. Another option is that the miniatures were bought by the 6th Duke and Duchess themselves and framed by the same framemaker under the recommendation of their close friend. How the Duke and Duchess may have bought the miniatures can also be revealed through their connection to Lord Curzon.
The Delhi Durbar of 1903
In 1903, Lord Curzon organised the Delhi Durbar. The durbar was to celebrate the succession of King Edward VII as Emperor of India. Curzon enlisted George Watt to organise an Arts Exhibition for the durbar to celebrate and encourage the creation of Indian art. As part of this exhibition, new pieces of art were produced; however, there were also historical artefacts. The exhibition was a commercial enterprise in which artists could make money from their art. The 6th Duke and Duchess themselves purchased a tea set, which is now part of the Portland Collection. You can read more about the Jade Tea Set here.
The official catalogue of the art exhibition, written by George Watt, confirms that miniatures were exhibited and probably sold at the durbar. Watt mentions an ‘interesting collection of miniature paintings on ivory’ and sets that depicted ‘portraits and architectural scenes’ as well as ‘a frame containing pictures of the Kings of Delhi’. This confirms that miniatures like these were sold at the exhibition, potentially bought by the 6th Duke and Duchess.
Whilst the durbar gave Indian artists the chance to show off their cultural art and make money from it, it also reveals how colonialism continued to impact the production and consumption of art. Not only was the durbar organised by the English Lord Curzon, but George Watt was also a Scottish botanist who had been invited to India by the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal to teach at Calcutta University. The durbar was also to celebrate the accession of the British King to the position of Emperor of India, a title only possible because of the colonisation of India.
King Edward & His Empire Builders, published by Rotary Photographic Co Ltd. Postcard print, circa 1907 NPG x197883 © National Portrait Gallery, London
The history of this set of miniatures, from its production to its consumption by British audiences, reveals the impact that colonialism had on art in India. Much about the miniatures remains unknown, including the name of the artist, and we may never be able to confirm exactly how they got to Welbeck. Having an item like this on display with a deeper understanding of its history allows us to appreciate the challenges as well as the beauty that comes from colonial Indian art.
