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Lot Essay
This impressively large painting shows Raja Tulsaji of Tanjore (r. 1763-87) in a grand state procession. He sits in an splendid octagonal chariot drawn by two large white oxen and holds a white flower. The Raja is accompanied in the chariot by two men, the man facing him likely an important minister and the other an attendant. An elephant bedecked in gold textiles rides ahead whilst further elephants follow behind the chariot carrying drummers. Gilded flags and shining gold fish-shaped standards fly in the wind. Accompanying the procession on foot is a crowd of attendants, guards and soldiers, some of whom stare out of the page directly at the viewer, involving us in this magnificent event. Despite this regal display of pomp and splendour, the Rajas of Tanjore held very little real power by the late 18th century. Following skirmishes with the Nawab of the Carnatic, a close ally of the British East India Company, Tanjore was subsequently besieged and occupied by the joint forces of the Nawab and the Company. In 1773 the East India company demanded that Tulsaji accept British protectorate status and disband his military. By the end of the 18th century Tanjore became a regulation district of the Madras Presidency and Raja Sarabhoji (r. 1798-1832), Tulsaji's son, was a pensioned nobleman of the Company (Archer 1992, p.43).
Tanjore painting in the 18th century stylistically drew influence from Hyderabad, likely as a result of a number of artists who relocated to Tanjore at the beginning of the century in search of patronage (Archer 1992, p.45). Towards the end of the century the increasing numbers of British, and later French, officials and passers-through created a fertile environment for Company School painting. Albums depicting trades and occupations were particularly popular, as were portraits of current and historic rulers of Tanjore.
Our processional painting relates to a group of similar works of similarly impressive scale. A very similar processional scene of Raja Tulsaji in his octagonal chariot from the Collection of Edwin Binney III is in the San Diego Museum of Art (inv.no. 1990.1415) and another from the Sven Gahlin Collection was sold at Sotheby's, 6 October 2015, lot 53. The ex-Gahlin painting was originally part of a group of three stylistically similar large Tanjore paintings belonging to General Sir John Dalling, Commander-in-chief at Madras (1785-6). The other two were sold in these Rooms 23 September 2005, lot 43, and are now in the British Museum (2005,0705,0.1 and 2005,0705,0.2). They depict Sir John and other officers being carried in palanquins in processions of their own. It is therefore likely that large processional scenes were also popular, albeit less common, commissions alongside the smaller albums being produced in Tanjore at the time. Despite Tanjore's waning independence, the fashion for processional paintings of the Rajas in full pomp continued into the 19th century. A processional scene of Raja Sarabhoji is in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.90.141.5) and an painting of both Amar Singh (who served as regent for Sarabhoji) and Sarabhoji is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (IM.10-1938).
Our painting is closest to the San Diego example, although of superior quality. In the San Diego and ex-Gahlin paintings the great temple of Tanjore is visible in the background and is probably the destination of the procession. Stately processions were held annually for the Dussehra festival in September/October which could be the occasion depicted in all three paintings. Our procession is probably also headed to the temple, which is indicated by the elephant riding ahead with an empty seat, found in all three paintings, on which the Raja would ride back from the temple (Goswamy and Smith 2005, no. 122). Both the San Diego and ex-Gahlin examples have just one figure accompanying the Raja in the chariot and not the two seen here. Only the Los Angeles painting has three figures in the chariot where a British official is shown riding alongside Raja Sarabhoji and his minister.
In style and quality of painting the present work is closely comparable to another impressive processional painting of Raja Tulsaji, this time on horseback and surrounded by his entourage, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (IM.319-1921). That painting is dated circa 1770 and it is likely that our painting is similarly dated. The ex-Gahlin painting is dated slightly earlier and it is tempting to think that these works were created in the late 1760s or early 1770s as a reflection of the Raja's pomp prior to losing independence in 1773. The aforementioned processional scenes dated later include a greater number of soldiers in European-style uniform (although there are some present here) or, in the case of the Los Angeles example, British officials which would support the idea that our work represents an earlier period. The two attendants in our painting who ride in the chariot with Tulsaji further support the idea that this work predates 1773 when the Raja presided over his own court. However, if the ex-Gahlin painting was a commission for Sir John Dalling painted alongside the two other British Library paintings then a pre-1773 dating is unlikely.
Tanjore painting in the 18th century stylistically drew influence from Hyderabad, likely as a result of a number of artists who relocated to Tanjore at the beginning of the century in search of patronage (Archer 1992, p.45). Towards the end of the century the increasing numbers of British, and later French, officials and passers-through created a fertile environment for Company School painting. Albums depicting trades and occupations were particularly popular, as were portraits of current and historic rulers of Tanjore.
Our processional painting relates to a group of similar works of similarly impressive scale. A very similar processional scene of Raja Tulsaji in his octagonal chariot from the Collection of Edwin Binney III is in the San Diego Museum of Art (inv.no. 1990.1415) and another from the Sven Gahlin Collection was sold at Sotheby's, 6 October 2015, lot 53. The ex-Gahlin painting was originally part of a group of three stylistically similar large Tanjore paintings belonging to General Sir John Dalling, Commander-in-chief at Madras (1785-6). The other two were sold in these Rooms 23 September 2005, lot 43, and are now in the British Museum (2005,0705,0.1 and 2005,0705,0.2). They depict Sir John and other officers being carried in palanquins in processions of their own. It is therefore likely that large processional scenes were also popular, albeit less common, commissions alongside the smaller albums being produced in Tanjore at the time. Despite Tanjore's waning independence, the fashion for processional paintings of the Rajas in full pomp continued into the 19th century. A processional scene of Raja Sarabhoji is in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.90.141.5) and an painting of both Amar Singh (who served as regent for Sarabhoji) and Sarabhoji is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (IM.10-1938).
Our painting is closest to the San Diego example, although of superior quality. In the San Diego and ex-Gahlin paintings the great temple of Tanjore is visible in the background and is probably the destination of the procession. Stately processions were held annually for the Dussehra festival in September/October which could be the occasion depicted in all three paintings. Our procession is probably also headed to the temple, which is indicated by the elephant riding ahead with an empty seat, found in all three paintings, on which the Raja would ride back from the temple (Goswamy and Smith 2005, no. 122). Both the San Diego and ex-Gahlin examples have just one figure accompanying the Raja in the chariot and not the two seen here. Only the Los Angeles painting has three figures in the chariot where a British official is shown riding alongside Raja Sarabhoji and his minister.
In style and quality of painting the present work is closely comparable to another impressive processional painting of Raja Tulsaji, this time on horseback and surrounded by his entourage, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (IM.319-1921). That painting is dated circa 1770 and it is likely that our painting is similarly dated. The ex-Gahlin painting is dated slightly earlier and it is tempting to think that these works were created in the late 1760s or early 1770s as a reflection of the Raja's pomp prior to losing independence in 1773. The aforementioned processional scenes dated later include a greater number of soldiers in European-style uniform (although there are some present here) or, in the case of the Los Angeles example, British officials which would support the idea that our work represents an earlier period. The two attendants in our painting who ride in the chariot with Tulsaji further support the idea that this work predates 1773 when the Raja presided over his own court. However, if the ex-Gahlin painting was a commission for Sir John Dalling painted alongside the two other British Library paintings then a pre-1773 dating is unlikely.