June

The Laird Of Lahore (Daily Express, June 8, 1993) Poster color, gouache and gold dust on mount board 15.25 x 21.1cm (6 x 8.25in) Artist: Rabindra K.D Kaur Singh

Acknowledging the sustained media interest which Lord Iqbal Singh has received since moving to Scotland, this painting, like others in the Iqbalnama series takes its title from one of the many newspaper headlines used by the Press.

Capturing some of Lord Iqbal Singh’s memories it shows him as a youth sitting in the courtyard of his home in the Punjabi village of Kishanpur, which was founded by and named after his father who moved from the City of Lahore after the partition of India in 1947. Famous landmarks of Lahore can be seen beyond the village wall: the beautiful Shalimar Gardens, the tomb of the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Lahore Fort and the Golden Masjid.

In particular, the painting recalls how as a youth of fifteen or sixteen, Lord Iqbal Singh ran a modest “hospital” from which he dispensed “aspirin”, “eye drops” and “brandy” free of charge to sick villagers. His favourite childhood game, hop-scotch, is also represented.

The Urdu numbers on the hop-scotch grid and the ornate buildings reveal Iqbal Singh’s educated and privileged background - as does the Parker pen in his shirt pocket which “was considered a status symbol at the time!” The British General of Punjab, whose regular visits to his family provided “a highlight to village life,” arrives on horseback holding the flags of both India and Pakistan - a reference to the Partition of India which marked a turning point in Lord Iqbal Singh’s life.

To The Manor Sporran (Sunday Herald, August 29, 1999) Poster colour, gouache and gold dust on mount board 15.25 x 21.1cm (6 x 8.25in) Artist: Amrit K.D Kaur Singh

Lord Iqbal Singh’s purchase of ‘Little Castle’ at Lesmahago, near Glasgow, made international headlines. Here, the ‘Lord of the Manor’ is depicted sipping tea to the tune of bagpipes. The painting presents a light hearted twist - one of role reversal - on a popular theme within the 19th century Company School of Indian miniature painting, which showed the British ‘Sahib’ in a lap of luxury being waited upon by his Indian servants.

As an animal typically associated with formal portraits of Indian nobility, Lord Iqbal Singh’s much loved dog, Lucky, completes this image of the Scottish Sikh Laird. Marriage to a Swiss Bride Poster color, gouache and gold dust on mount board 15.25 x 21.1cm (6 x 8.25in) Artist: Rabindra K.D Kaur Singh

This painting represents Lord Iqbal Singh’s marriage to his Swiss-born wife Gertrude. The couple stand against a typical Swiss landscape, complete with snow capped Alps, chalets and the little church where they were married. Symbolic conventions used by traditional Indian miniaturists in their treatment of the ‘union of lovers’ theme has been borrowed.

Namely, the Punjabi parrot and the Swiss cuckoo (‘love birds’ which nestle in a blossom tree) and the creeper clinging to the tree trunk (symbolising the married couple’s interdependence on each other). In a wider context the Indian Marigold and Swiss Eidlewiss flower motifs in the border represent a merging of two cultures.

Laird Singh’s His Tartan’s Praises (Daily Record, July 15, 1999) Poster color, gouache and gold dust on mount board 15.25 x 21.1cm (6 x 8.25in) Artist: Rabindra K.D Kaur Singh

This formal portrait of Lord Iqbal Singh records his commissioning of the ‘Singh Tartan’, the first officially registered Tartan for the Scottish Asian community. Below him, a Punjabi weaver produces the ‘Singh Tartan’, whilst a Scottish weaver produces a paisley shawl. Their cloths meet in the centre to symbolise the fusion and interchange between Scottish and Punjabi culture past and present.

Significantly, the Punjabi loom is engraved with the thistle emblem of ‘Locharron of Scotland’ - the company that produced the Singh Tartan, whilst the Scottish loom bears the arrow symbol of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, during whose rule the Kashmiri (or Paisley shawl as it was later called) was introduced to Scotland. Punjabi-Scottish cultural relations are further represented by the Lion and the Marigold and the Stag and Thistle respectively.

Lord Iqbal Singh’s personal affection for Scotland is indicated by the Scottish flag which supports his family crest.

All for Burns and Burns for All Poster color, gouache and gold dust on mount board 15.25 x 21.1cm (6 x 8.25in) Artist: Amrit K.D Kaur Singh

Here Lord Iqbal Singh’s personal admiration for one of Scotland’s most famous poets, Robert Burns is celebrated. It depicts him on the Outer Hebrides Island of Vacsay (which he purchased and renamed Burns Island), holding a copy of the Punjabi translation of Burns’ poetry which he commissioned. Following the tradition of Indian illustrated manuscripts, text from one of the Burns’ most popular poems, ‘Scots Wha Hae Wi Wallace Bled,’ is inscribed in the border.

In glorifying the Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace who has parallels with the Sikh hero Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the verse serves to represent not only the comparison that has been made between the Scottish and Sikh character but the long standing cultural and historic links between Scotland and Punjab.

Lesmahagow Durbar Poster color, gouache and gold dust on mount board 15.25 x 21.1cm (6 x 8.25in) Artist: Amrit K.D Kaur Singh

Inspired by the ‘Durbar’ or Court scenes of Imperial Mughal miniatures, this painting depicts the social gathering of various friends and acquaintances at ‘Little Castle’, Lesmahagow. Amongst them are The Singh Twins, holding the tools of their profession. Sitting in a throne-like chair, dressed in a pink silk sari and tiara Lady Iqbal Singh provides a key focus within the composition.

Entertainment is provided by a Scottish dancer of Asian descent who replaces the traditional ‘nautch’ girl or courtesan of the Indian Court. Meanwhile, in the scene bottom left, the artists’ father is invited by Lord Iqbal Singh to plant a tree in his grounds - something extended to all his visitors as a mark of hospitality and friendship.

On either side of the central mirror are a portrait of Maharaja Dalip Singh, the son of the great Sikh Ruler Ranjit Singh and Dalip Singh’s daughter, Princess Bamba Dalip Singh (later Mrs. Sutherland) whom Lord Iqbal Singh recalls meeting. Together they serve as a reminder of the long tradition of nobility within Sikh history.