Portrait of an Officer of the East India Company 1770c. By Tilly Kettle This outstanding military portrait was painted by Tilly Kettle, the first major Western artist to go to India. Arriving at Madras in 1769, he portrayed the leading figures of the region, both British and Indian. At Faizabad he was employed for a year by the Nawab of Oudh; for the remainder of his visit to India Kettle was based in Calcutta, receiving commissions from judges and administrators, and, in a few cases, their wives. He painted at least three portraits of Warren Hastings. When he sailed from Calcutta for England on 30th March 1776 he had earned a considerable fortune. It was Tilly Kettle's success in India that encouraged other artists of merit -from Zoffany to Chinnery- to undertake the long voyage to India. In 1786 Kettle set off for India again, this time overland; he reached Aleppo in July, but died soon afterwards. Like the prinicipal figure in several other of Kettle's portraits -notably that of Shuja-ud-daula which was given to Louis XVI in 1778, and is still at Versailles- the scarlet-coated officer advances one leg towards the spectator, while his head is presented full face. Despite the element of swagger in the posture, and the magnificence of his gold-braided uniform, the overall expression suggests not so much arrogance as a steady confidence and an awareness of responsibilty. The tropical location is made plain by the plantain tree on the left and the palm trees on the right, beneath which can be seen a battalion of sepoys of the Bengal Infantry is encamped. Indeed, the picture can de regarded not simply as a striking portrait of an individual, but an apt reflection of the immense military and economic power of the East India Company in the 1770s. The identity of the sitter has not been established with any certainty, although the name of Major Sweeney Toone has been suggested among possible candidates. Major Toone served as Aide-de-Camp to Warren Hastings and the latter stood as godfather to two of Toone's sons. In 1773 Toone was responsible for raising a troop of cavalry at Benares to serve as the Governor General''s Body Guard. The flamboyant uniform in this portrait has been compared to that of the Body Guard, although -regulations notwithstanding- uniforms in this period were seldom a rigidly-fixed matter and the dress might as easily be that of an infantry officer. The sepoy dress depicted with some care in the background has been identified as that of the Bengal Third Brigade. It is not known certainly whether or not this portrait was executed in India, but if, however, like a good many of Kettle's Indian works, the portrait was in fact painted in England, this might explain the portrait's superb condition. This certainly was the conclusion of the Times correspondent (5th December 1904 see literature) who stated when writing of this and other paintings in the Tomlinson collection that the canvasses did not show the effects of the heat in India ''and it may be taken as a certainty that they have never left England.'' Source : Historical Portraits

The painting is superb, the uniform is great, but the expression on the face is sheer arrogance - perhaps because the Company Bahadur had won several major battles by this time.

The governor General's Body Guard raised by Warren Hastings in1773 is known today as Presidents Body Guard .It is oldest surviving mounted regiment of the Indian Army.The Uniform worn by the officer in the portrait closely resembles the ceremonial uniform of President's Body Guard .For more info.on this please click http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Units/Infantry/219-PBG.html and http://presidentofindia.nic.in/PBG.html .

The dress in the portrait is typical of the officers of the HEIC of that era. The dress of the PBG, the erstwhile Viceroy’s Body Guards (VRBG) and the Governor General’s Body Guards (GGBG) if at all are closer to the Queens Household Cavalry, of course with no breast plates and plumed helmets. The bodyguards were meant to protect the Viceroy or the Governor General of a Presidency. Before 1762 there were no cavalry troops in the Bengal establishment and in September of the same year, the European section of the army supplied two troops of the Dragoons and one troop of Hussars for special bodyguard duties. The Dragoons (light troops, not actually Hussars in appearance) had one Captain, two Lieutenants, one Cornet and sixty rank and file. The Hussars had one Lieutenant, one Cornet and thirty-six rank and file. In 1763, the bodyguard to the Commander-in-Chief was established in addition to the previously existing cavalry and Captain George Hay, First Lieutenant of Captain Spelman’s troops was to be Captain-Lieutenant of this new unit. However, the troops were weak and the next year were disbanded except for the bodyguard which in August 1765 was reduced to one subaltern, two sergeants, two corporals, two trumpeters, and twenty two privates. In 1772, all cavalry were disbanded. The next year in April 1773 a troop of fifty men was raised at Benares by Warren Hastings and placed under the command of Captain Sweeney Toone. The Dress Regulation sealed in 1886 (not too different from the earlier one when blue pantaloons were worn) for Native Officers was:- Tunic: A chapkan of scarlet cloth with edgings of gold lace, oak leaf pattern 1½ inch wide, round neck, breast and cuffs, gold tracing braid round skirt, Austrian knot of three lines of gold tracing braid on sleeve. Aiguillette: Gold thread. Girdle: Of gold lace, 2½ inches wide with two crimson stripes. Turban: Blue cloth. (Today with the working summer & winter dress maroon turbans are worn as the rank and file of the PBG are all qualified paratroopers. With ceremonial dress blue turbans are worn.) Pantaloons: Blue cloth or white band cloth. Boots: Napoleon, enamelled leather. Spurs: Swan neck with foot chains, silver plated. Sword-belt: Gold lace girdle with gold lace slings. Sword-knot: Gold line with acorn. Gloves: Buck skin. Pouch and gold lace pouch belt, horse furniture and throat ornament – as for the British officers. http://presidentofindia.nic.in/sttb.html