Enlarge ImageProcession of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III through Mysore
Former kingdom of Mysore, 1825-1830
Opaque watercolor on paper backed with cloth
© V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Krishnaraja Wodeyar III, the ruler of Mysore, a southern Indian kingdom, rides on an elephant leading a grand procession through crowds of onlookers. He is preceded by dancers, musicians, and attendants, while behind are elaborate chariots bearing effigies of Hindu deities. Such processions, and paintings of them, represent royal authority. But the prominent size and position of the British representative (in British military uniform and pointed hat) indicate that in the early nineteenth century Mysore was functionally under the control of the English East India Company.