Ramdulal De Sarkar (1752 – 1825)
Modern Bengali entrepreneur and millionaire

attributed to Sasikumar Hesh (1869 – ?)

circa 1895, Oil on canvas
40.6 x 30.7 in. (103.1 x 78 cm.)

This portrait depicts Ramdulal De, widely regarded as the first modern Bengali entrepreneur and a pioneering figure in Indo-American maritime trade. He was born into a humble family near present-day Dumdum, Kolkata. Ramdulal rose from being a clerk to becoming a millionaire and a trusted representative for American merchants trading via the Bay of Bengal. By 1800, he had established his own shipping and forwarding agency and even operated ships that traded across the Atlantic-an extraordinary feat for a native Indian at that time. He maintained a strict Hindu lifestyle and declined an American invitation to visit their country. Thus he instead received a portrait of George Washington as an honor. His contribution to education, particularly the founding of Hindu College, cemented his legacy in Bengal’s public life.

The artist of this work is believed to be Sashikumar Hesh, a talented portraitist from Mymensingh district, trained at the Government Art School, Calcutta, and later in Italy and London. Hesh painted many notable personalities including W. C. Bonnerjee and Debendranath Tagore. His academic realism and sensitive rendering of fabric, skin, and character are evident in this portrait. The work stands as a fine example of early modern Indian portraiture rooted in European technique yet deeply local in subject.