Art of the Sikhs

Eight pictures representing the varied art of the Sikhs. Unlike the Rajput rulers of the Hills, The Sikhs had no artistic traditions of their own and were therefore content to borrow the styles which were current among their neighbours. The Rothenstein pictures reflect this catholicity of manner and include some notable Rajputana and Kangra versions of Sikh subjects. In the early part of the nineteenth century a more distinctive Sikh style developed at Lahore and while its products have often a somewhat clumsy finish, at least one picture, the Portrait of Karak Sing, is a masterpiece of portraiture (illustrated). Part of a collection of 111 paintings belonging to Sir William Rothenstein.