Important Notice

A prolific 19th century British-German painter, Horace van Ruith spent his formative years working in Italy, before moving to Bombay and opening a studio in the 1880s. His paintings on India were mostly centred on capturing the local people and their lives, activities and culture. In 1886, he moved to London, and was a regular contributor to the Royal Academy of Arts, painting landscapes, portraits and scenes of daily life, in oils and... A prolific 19th century British-German painter, Horace van Ruith spent his formative years working in Italy, before moving to Bombay and opening a studio in the 1880s. His paintings on India were mostly centred on capturing the local people and their lives, activities and culture. In 1886, he moved to London, and was a regular contributor to the Royal Academy of Arts, painting landscapes, portraits and scenes of daily life, in oils and watercolours. This move to England cemented his reputation as a significant artist at that time.

In the present lot, Van Ruith depicts an older Indian man dressed in traditional attire, including the Maharashtrian pagadi (turban). Painted in the academic realistic style that was in vogue at the time, it demonstrates the artist's mastery over the style and the skilful manner in which he expresses details in watercolour. At the turn of the century, Van Ruith was invited back to India by the Gaekwad of Baroda. The present lot is likely to have been painted during these visits to India.

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