A portrait of 14-year-old Sirinbai Ardeshir, from Neemuch, painted by Rudolf Swoboda (1859-1914) hangs in the Durbar Corridor of Osborne House, a former summer retreat of Queen Victoria on the Isle of Wright. Executed between 1886 and 1888, the 26.1 x 15 x 0.5 cm rendition in oil on wood is one of over 40 portraits from South Asia painted at the request of the Queen.
Sirinbai Ardeshir: portrait painted to please
Queen Victoria Photo courtesy: Royal Collection Trust website
The Vienna-born Swoboda had worked for the British monarch between 1885 and 1892. He travelled to India "passing through......