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A portrait of the naked ascetic Pothi Sadhu of Mathura, who sits on an animal skin with his right foot caught up under his right armpit, and wearing just a green turban with a white cloth wound round it and over his mouth. Around him are positioned his garment, shoes, crutch, bow and bowls.

By a Delhi artist, c.1816-20.

Inscribed in Persian on the verso in pencil and again in ink: ‘Shabih-i Pothi Sad bashanda-i Mathura muttasil-i talab-il qadim-i Bishn Singh qaum Brahman az ‘arsa-i panzda sal u panj mulazim Jahangir’ (‘likness of Pothi Sadu inhabitant of Mathura of the Brahman caste in front of the old tank of Bishn Singh, and for five years servant of Jahangir’).

Water-colour; 314 by 213 mm.

From the collections of James Baillie and William Fraser, and by family descent. Purchased 1989.

Published in Mildred Archer and Toby Falk, ‘India Revealed: the Art and Adventures of James and William Fraser 1801-35’ (London, 1989), no.140.

Note: Despite the inscription, this is a portrait study without any landscape background. A similar picture with such a landscape is found in James Skinner’s ‘Tasrih-i Aqvam’ of 1825 (BL Add.27255, f.370v), where he is described as Lomi Sadhu of the Paramahamsa caste who has sat beside the pool of Raja Phatte Mal in Mathura, and has not spoken for 15 years (Titley 1977, p.156).