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Lot Essay
The durbar depicted in this watercolour took place in the interior of Divan-i-Khass in the Delhi Fort. The throne is a recreation of the lost Peacock throne of Shah Jahan that was looted by Nadir Shah of Iran in 1739.
The inscription on the English gentleman reads 'Muntasin al-Daula Carls Thiyafilas Mastar Matkalf Bahadur Barunat' (Sir Charles Theophilus Metcalfe) Resident at Delhi between 1811 and 1819, and again 1825-27. Metcalf was made a baronet in 1822 and so the inscription relates to his second period in office. The three other identifiable figures wearing crowns and positioned either side of the throne are the sons of Akbar, Mirza Muhammad Salim Shah, Mirza Babur Shah on the left of the composition and Mirza Abu'l Muzaffar, the crown prince and future Bahadur Shah II (r. 1837-1858), the last Mughal emperor on the right. The present view was probably painted in the 1850s, depicting an earlier event.
The inscription on the English gentleman reads 'Muntasin al-Daula Carls Thiyafilas Mastar Matkalf Bahadur Barunat' (Sir Charles Theophilus Metcalfe) Resident at Delhi between 1811 and 1819, and again 1825-27. Metcalf was made a baronet in 1822 and so the inscription relates to his second period in office. The three other identifiable figures wearing crowns and positioned either side of the throne are the sons of Akbar, Mirza Muhammad Salim Shah, Mirza Babur Shah on the left of the composition and Mirza Abu'l Muzaffar, the crown prince and future Bahadur Shah II (r. 1837-1858), the last Mughal emperor on the right. The present view was probably painted in the 1850s, depicting an earlier event.