On May 22nd, Mullock auction house (www.mullocksauctions.co.uk) will be selling a host of Sikh related items including books, photographs, and miniatures that are all part of our Sikh Heritage.
One particularly striking and exciting work is a standing white marble sculpture of Maharajah Ranjit Singh. According to its description, the Maharajah is holding his sword with his left hand and with his right handm he is pointing upwards in a gesture of lecturing. It is dated to Northern India probably Lahore circa end of 19th / early 20th c and is 58 cm tall coming from a German collection.
The description continues, "The Maharaja's dress and blind eye that he lost as the result of a smallpox infection mark him quickly. He is standing next to a tree trunk which gives the composition stability in a raffinate way. This work is rendered in a realistic and lifelike style and shows the ruler in a formal pose. The diminutive and sharp-featured Ranjit Singh is a very finely carved depiction."
Maharaja Ranjit Singh lived from November 13th 1780 to June 27th 1839 and reigned from April 12th 1801 until his death. He was known by a myriad of other titles such as Maharaja of Lahore Sarkar Khalsaji, Sher-e-Punjab, Lord of the Five Rivers, and Napoleon of the East.
It is rare to have any sort of depiction of him which makes the statue particularly important for Sikh history and heritage. It is the writer’s view that such objects should be bought into a Sikh safe haven, where they will be treasured and looked after for all time.
There are only a handful of statues from the 19th and 20th century depicting the great Maharajah and it is hoped that this treasure amongst others finds it way into beloved Sikh hands. It has been in a German collection for all this time broken and restored and probably never really appreciated. It has been kept away from its true path until now. It is the hope that this does not leave again to be bought by a general or non-sikh collector.
We hope it can find its way home into Sikh hands on the 22nd May 2014.