Important Notice

POMP, REGALIA, AND GRANDEUR: A MAJESTIC HAND-COLOURED ROYAL PORTRAIT OF SIR PERTAB SINGH OF IDAR

An Elite Studio Portrait Attributed to Case & Sons, Simla—With Possible London Retouching by Russell & Sons.

Presented in an elaborate contemporary carved and gilded frame with velvet borders, this finely hand-coloured albumen photographic portrait on card depicts Sir Pertab Singh of Idar (1845–1922), a distinguished Rajput... POMP, REGALIA, AND GRANDEUR: A MAJESTIC HAND-COLOURED ROYAL PORTRAIT OF SIR PERTAB SINGH OF IDAR

An Elite Studio Portrait Attributed to Case & Sons, Simla—With Possible London Retouching by Russell & Sons.

Presented in an elaborate contemporary carved and gilded frame with velvet borders, this finely hand-coloured albumen photographic portrait on card depicts Sir Pertab Singh of Idar (1845–1922), a distinguished Rajput noble, soldier, and administrator, shown in an elaborate court dress, wearing a gold-embroidered achkan (court dress) with prominent epaulettes, braided cords, and a decorative sash; an elaborately plumed turban with a sarpech (turban ornament); and ceremonial decorations like medals and insignia, including the Order of the Star of India pinned to his chest. The photograph bears early 20th-century studio colouring, typical of high-end portrait commissions by the aristocracy in the late colonial era.

The verso retains two original studio labels:
• One from “CASE & SONS, Simla,” a lesser-known but active photographic studio during the British Raj, noted for elite portraiture in North India.
• Another partially damaged label, which reads "RUSSELL & SONS, Photographers to H.M. the King, 17 Baker Street, London W," suggests that the print may have been retouched, coloured, or reframed in England after it was commissioned.

Labels on the verso suggest a potential transcontinental journey between India and Britain, possibly part of a diplomatic presentation or familial heirloom.

This exceptional photographic portrait captures Sir Pertab Singh, a Rajput statesman renowned for his military service and princely diplomacy under British rule. He held the positions of regent of Jodhpur and Maharaja of Idar (from 1902), and received honours such as GCSI and GCIE.

Photographed in full ceremonial regalia, Singh is presented in a resolute three-quarter profile, a format commonly reserved for state portraiture. The delicately hand-colored accents—particularly the pastel orange and blue highlights on his turban and sash—reflect a hybrid Indo-European style of studio art developed under Raj.

The presence of Case & Sons of Simla, known to cater to elite clients during the summer of the British administration, strengthens the attribution. The second label from Russell & Sons, a Royal Warrant holder in London, opens the possibility that the print was coloured, reframed, or copied for transnational circulation—a common practice for princely portraiture gifted to European allies.

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