Himabhai Vakhatchand (1785 – 1858)
Nagar Seth of Ahmedabad

Artist Unknown (Gujarati) After William Carpenter

dated 1883, Oil on canvas
36.3 x 29 in. (92.2 x 73.7 cm.)

This portrait depicts Himabhai Vakhatchand, a prominent Nagar Seth (businessman) of Ahmedabad, celebrated for his immense wealth, philanthropy, and influence in the 19th century. Himabhai was one of the city’s leading figures when British artists and travelers began documenting India’s changing social and cultural landscapes. In 1850, the British artist William Carpenter visited Ahmedabad and made several watercolors and sketches, including a noted portrait of Seth Himabhai. Carpenter’s original watercolor is now preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The portrait shown here, however, is the work of an unknown artist, inscribed in Gujarati, created after Carpenter’s visit. This artist captures Himabhai with remarkable dignity, dressed in tradition alattire with a turban, pearls, and gold jewelry. He is seated calmly with a book in hand – a symbol of know ledge and prestige. There is meticulous attention paid to the textures of fabric, jewelry, and skin tone. However there is a gentle flatness and iconic stillness, typical of regional artists, who adapted European techniques within indigenous traditions. This artist bridges the worlds of courtly painting and the emerging European-influenced realism of the mid-19th century.