Maharaja Sher Singh, the son and successor of Ranjit Singh, sent this painting of his father to Queen Victoria in 1843. A renowned horseman, Ranjit Singh was often portrayed as a warrior on horseback. The artist incorporates the Mughal imperial symbols of the halo and the parasol (referencing Lahore’s earlier Mughal painting traditions) but depicts the Maharaja against a dramatic landscape reflecting the romantic style developed in the Punjab Hills.