A PROFILE PORTRAIT OF THE INDIAN REFORMER, RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY (1772 - 1833), THE FOUNDER OF THE BRAHMO SAMAJ
Company School, Southern India, mid to late 19th century

Opaque pigments and white wash on thick paper, the sitter portrayed in profile, the nobleman with thick curly hair and thin moustaches depicted with a characteristic multi-folded red turban embroidered in yellow and blue, clad in a white robe and wearing a purple-trimmed shawl over the shoulder, not painted from life, the image bearing close stylistic resemblance to an 1828 French lithograph by Marlet depicting Raja Ram Mohan Roy (an Indian reformer, writer, and founder of Brahmo Samaj), the painting backed by a sheet of paper with a black ink sketch of a countryside home, mounted, glazed and framed.

The portrait 15.5cm x 15.5cm, 19.5cm x 19.8cm including the frame

Raja Ram Mohan Roy (22 May 1772 – 27 September 1833), often called "the father of Modern India", is known for founding the Brahmo Samaj in 1828, a religious and social reform movement that aimed to modernise Indian society, and for his advocacy against antiquated social practices like Sati (widow burning). Roy was a prolific writer, a scholar of multiple languages, and a key figure in the Bengal Renaissance.