Chief Minister (Peshwa) Sawai Madhavrao

Unlike most of the other paintings on this wall, which come from various northern Indian kingdoms, this work was painted in the Deccan, the vast plateau region of southern India. Sawai Madhavrao (1772-1795) was the peshwa, or chief minister, of the Hindu Maratha kingdom, which had been founded in this region in the late 1600s. Apart from the style of the painting and the distinctive clothing and turban style of the minister, this portrait follows certain northern Indian conventions. Sawai Madhavrao appears seated in profile against some cushions, while objects such as the document in his right hand and the two weapons by his feet indicate his authority.

Sawai Madhavrao was only two years old when he inherited the title of peshwa upon the death of his father. For the duration of his short life, the affairs of the Maratha kingdom were overseen by a powerful regent. Since the establishment of their kingdom, the Marathas' quest for expansion had resulted in great conflicts with the Mughal rulers and Hindu kings of northern and central India as well as with the British and Portuguese colonial powers. By Sawai Madhavrao's lifetime, the kingdom had considerably weakened. Twenty-three years after his death, and following three Anglo- Maratha wars, the Maratha territories were incorporated into British India.