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Lot Essay
John Osborne became a junior officer in the Bengal Army in 1766 and, despite court-martial proceedings, in 1778 was named the commander of a battalion in the army of the Nawab-Wazir of Oudh in Lucknow. He was promoted to major the following year. The battalion was disbanded in 1780 and Osborne returned to England. In 1784 he sailed back to India, remaining in the Bengal Army until some time before July 1787, after which he returned to England, residing at Melchet Park, Wilshire (now Melchet Court, Hampshire).
Following modestly successful stays in Dublin, London, and Bath, Thomas Hickey embarked on a voyage to India in 1780. While en route, his ship was captured by French and Spanish fleets, and he spent the next three years working as a portraitist in Lisbon. He finally arrived in Calcutta (Kolkata) in March 1784. Though works like the present painting initially found tremendous appeal, due in no small part to the freely handled vegetation and background that admirably convey the brilliant light and exoticism of the local environment, a lack of patronage compelled him to return to England in 1791. He returned to India seven years later, remaining there until his death in 1824.
Following modestly successful stays in Dublin, London, and Bath, Thomas Hickey embarked on a voyage to India in 1780. While en route, his ship was captured by French and Spanish fleets, and he spent the next three years working as a portraitist in Lisbon. He finally arrived in Calcutta (Kolkata) in March 1784. Though works like the present painting initially found tremendous appeal, due in no small part to the freely handled vegetation and background that admirably convey the brilliant light and exoticism of the local environment, a lack of patronage compelled him to return to England in 1791. He returned to India seven years later, remaining there until his death in 1824.
