Ghasiram Hardev Sharma: An Indian Portrait from the Mary McFadden Collection
- 14 hours ago
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An impulse purchase can easily become a source of unease. A painting without an author, a portrait whose sitter is unknown, yet unmistakably a work of quality. Finding answers to the questions such works raise takes time, and there is never any guarantee that the effort will be rewarded. And yet true quality never disappoints; sometimes it alone is reason enough to acquire a piece. Still, I am only truly satisfied once I have unraveled a work’s story. Too many loose ends leave me restless. Without a complete narrative, I would rather not offer a work at all. That is why I try to avoid impulse purchases whenever possible, especially when they fall outside my field of expertise.
New York Auction of ‘High Priestess of Fashion’ Mary McFadden
Last summer, I followed from home an auction in New York featuring art and objects from the collection of Mary McFadden (1938–2024), the American fashion designer, art collector, and former Vogue editor. The auction was diverse: fifteenth-century Buddhas, Chinese scroll paintings, Japanese vases, and other pieces of Asian heritage.
Among all this beauty appeared a framed drawing, simply described as “an Indian prince.” The portrait caught my attention, though I could not say exactly why. It depicted a seated man, adorned with distinctive jewelry, a turban, and ceremonial attire. The work was sketched with precision, the face carefully rendered in gouache. McFadden was known for her exquisite taste, so it had to be something special, I reasoned... The description was brief: unknown artist, probably created around 1800. Perhaps a portrait by a British artist working in India? In ten minutes, the lot would go under the hammer. No time for research. Before I knew it, I had placed a bid. And another. And another. I won.
The thrill soon faded. Shipping to the Netherlands was expensive, and customs duties even more so. All for a work that did not fit my collection and about which I had little knowledge. Where to begin with research? As always, I started with visual analysis and literature study. I quickly realized that the tools I am accustomed to using for Western art were not easily applicable to Indian art. Even the language barrier and the entirely different visual culture made the investigation challenging.
Calling in a Lifeline: The Discovery of Ghasiram Hardev Sharma
What do you do when research reaches a dead end? You call in a lifeline. Through a blog on Indian princes, I connected with an author; an Indian PhD from Bangalore specializing in the country’s noble dynasties. The seated man seemed vaguely familiar to him. After some digging, he found a drawing in the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington: a portrait of the same man, the same composition, by the same hand. It was not a prince, but a high priest.
The work was created by Ghasiram Hardev Sharma (1868–1931), an influential painter at the court of Mewar (Rajasthan). Sharma is considered a key figure in the transition from traditional Indian miniature painting to a more naturalistic portrait style around 1900. He combined the temple traditions of his ancestors with a modern, more European approach. His portraits are distinguished by refined line work, careful character study, and a subtle blending of styles. In addition, he was a talented photographer.
Not a Prince but a High Priest: Tilakayat Govardhanlalji
The portrait depicts Tilakayat Govardhanlalji (1862–1934), the high priest of the Pushtimarg sect and Sharma’s most important patron, whom the artist captured in various stages of life. Govardhanlalji oversaw the renowned Shreenathji Temple in Nathdwara (Rajasthan), a major center of Krishna devotion. Under his guidance, the culture surrounding music and art flourished, making him a key guardian of both religious heritage and artistic tradition. Govardhanlalji promoted Ghasiram to head of the painting department, giving him a central role in organizing and supervising the temple’s artistic production.
So it was not a drawing from 1800, but around 1900. Not a British artist, but an Indian one. Not a prince, but a high priest. Moreover, Sharma’s work is relatively rare and well represented in American and Asian museums. An unexpected discovery, one I would likely never have been able to interpret correctly without help. A beautiful example of how vital it is to share knowledge and rely on each other’s expertise.