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Notes
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The armies of the three East India Company ‘Presidencies’ were composed largely of sepoy battalions, that is, units of Indian troops commanded by European officers. The subject of this portrait is believed to be Captain Mathias Calvert (1733–1779), 14th Battalion of Coast Sepoys. The hill in the background closely resembles the distinctive domed rock of Ambur on the Palar river, Madras. It was here that Calvert's battalion held out against the vast armies of Mysore and Hyderabad in 1767, earning the honorary title ‘The Amboor Battalion’. The young man in sepoy’s uniform standing in the background wears a chain across his right shoulder, which is sometimes a sign of slavery. Calvert is known to have owned a slave boy named John.
Title
A British Officer of a Madras Sepoy Battalion, Possibly Captain Mathias Calvert (1733–1779), Attended by a Young Sepoy or Servant
Date
c.1769
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 75.9 x W 63.2 cm
Accession number
NAM. 1957-10-44
Acquisition method
purchased from Spink and Son Ltd, 1957
Work type
Painting
