Maharaja Ranjit Singh on horseback

Ranjit Singh (1780–1839), the central figure in this painting, is remembered as the founder of the first unified Sikh kingdom which at its height encompassed parts of what are now India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Because a childhood bout of smallpox had blinded and disfigured the maharaja's left eye, Ranjit Singh is almost always depicted as he is in this painting: in profile with his right side facing the viewer, thus hiding the imperfection. In many Sikh paintings Ranjit Singh is shown in the company of a trusted circle of courtiers. The man shown riding a gray horse behind the maharaja can be identified as Dhian Singh (died 1843), one of three Hindu brothers who were influential at Ranjit Singh's multiethnic and religiously tolerant court. (The name Singh—meaning "lion"—was adopted by many Sikhs beginning in 1699 as an expression of solidarity. It is not, however, exclusive to Sikhs.)