Nobleman on horseback

The three men depicted on horseback in this painting, as well as the attendant who accompanies them on foot, can be identified as Sikhs by the style of their turbans and clothing. Although their identities are unknown it is clear that the leading rider is the highest- ranking member of the group. It is over his figure that the attendant centers a parasol, a longstanding emblem of royalty in South Asia. This painting, like the one to your left, is close in style to courtly portraits that had been produced in the hill kingdoms of northern India since the eighteenth century. As Sikhs extended their control into these regions, they commissioned similar paintings.