Ranjit Singh: Sikh, Warrior, King

Interesting exhibition at the Wallace Collection looking at the life of the 19th century ruler of the Punjab, Ranjit Singh.

Using contemporary paintings and objects, many owned by Singh, they clearly told his story from starting to rule at 21 to building a cosmopolitan, cultured empire despite threats from the Britain, Russia and Afghanistan.

The basis for the show being at the museum was its collection of contemporary armour much of it associated with Singh. I must admit I found that quite hard to relate to albeit that much of it was very beautiful.

I loved the use of exquisite miniatures to illustrate a lot of the points. I am very fond of that type of jewel like Indian painting. I particularly liked an intricate picture of his court.

There was a section on how he attracted Europeans to his court and to fight in his armies including a number of Napoleon’s former generals. There were good portraits of them including a lovely drawing by Landseer.

The most intriguing pieces were the jewellery and it must be remembered that after his death, when the British took over the area, the Koh-i-Noor diamond, now in the British Crown Jewels, was taken from his treasury.

Closes 20 October 2024


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