Lot 56: SIR JOSEPH EDGAR BOEHM R.A.

SIR JOSEPH EDGAR BOEHM R.A. BRITISH 1834-1890 PORTRAIT BUSTS OF MUNSHI HAFIZ ABDUL KARIM AND MUHAMMAD BAKHSH SHAKH Karim signed: BOEHM and entitled and dated: MUNSHI HAFIZ ABDUL KARIM and Bakhsh signed: BOEHM.f. and entitled and dated: MUHAMMAD BA KH SH SHAKH 1889 bronze, dark brown patina Karim: 44cm., 17¼in. Bakhsh: 42.5cm., 16¾in.

The present bronzes depict two of the most recognisable Indians to attend the court of Queen Victoria in the last decades of the nineteenth century, Abdul Karim and Muhammad Bakhsh Shakh.

The more prominent of the two, Abdul Karim, rose from relatively humble beginnings in Agra to become 'the Queen's highly decorated Indian Secretary' and close confidant. Strikingly handsome and dressed in a white turban and scarlet tunic, he made an immediate impression on Victoria when he first arrived in England. Karim became an unofficial advocate for India in the Royal Household, teaching the Queen Hindustani and encouraging her to take a more active interest in the affairs of the Subcontinent. His devoted service led the Queen to elevate him to the rank of teacher and official Indian clerk, conferring upon him the prestigious title of 'Munshi Hafiz Abdul Karim' at the age of just 25.

However, Karim's rise to prominence and his close proximity to the Queen soon bred resentment. It was claimed that his access to state papers was dangerous and that he misused his position, accusations which were unequivocally dismissed by Victoria. In recent years, Abdul Karim has come to be viewed particularly favourably by historians, both as a man who rose to prominence in the face of prejudice and as an Indian whose presence at court highlighted the issue of institutional racism to Queen Victoria, leading her to implore her ministers to be 'more free [of] red-tapist narrow-minded Council.' Paintings of Abdul Karim by Rudolf Swoboda and Heinrich Von Angeli can be found in The Royal Collection.

Muhammad Bakhsh Shakh is relatively little known, partly because he was overshadowed in his own lifetime by the celebrity of Abdul Karim. He was regarded as a jovial and loyal servant by Queen Victoria and can be seen standing alongside his compatriot Abdul Karim in the hand painted photograph accompanying this note.

The sculptor of the present busts, Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm RA, was one of Queen Victoria's most favoured artists, becoming Sculptor-in-Ordinary in 1880. He is best known for his portraits of nineteenth-century British courtiers, politicians and members of the Royal Family. In the present bronzes, Boehm portrays Abdul Karim and Muhammad Bakhsh Shakh proudly wearing medals awarded to them for their personal service to the Royal Family. In presenting Indian subjects within a British royal context, these casts highlight the close cultural links that had developed between Britain and India by the end of the nineteenth century.

RELATED LITERATURE
Shrabani Basu, Victoria and Abdul. The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant, Stroud, 2011; M. Stocker, Royalist and Realist: The Life and Work of Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, London and New York, 1988