20th May, 2026 11:00
Live Sale: Indian, Islamic, Himalayan and South-East Asian Art 2026
62
A DRAWING OF ELLORA AND ANOTHER OF A WILD PEACOCK, BY CAPTAIN W. H. SYKES, INDIA, EARLY 19TH CENTURY
the first ink on paper, inscribed and signed 'Captain W. H. Sykes', the second in colour and ink on paper, inscribed 'Mamely or Wild Peacock', and a study of Karle Cave, colour and ink on paper, extensively inscribed, dated April 1851, and signed, indistinctly, with a sketch of a palace above ghats, inscribed on the reverse 'Bombay School of Art', the first 19.9 x 27.6cm., and smaller (4)
Provenance: Collection of Robert Skelton, O.B.E. (1929-2022)
William Henry Sykes (1790-1872), who rose to the rank of Colonel, served in the army of the East India Company from 1804, seeing his first action at the Siege of Bhurtpur, in 1805. By 1810 he could speak Hindi and Marathi, and, having shown such an aptitude and interest in Indian matters, was appointed a statistical manager for the Bombay government by Mountstuart Elphinstone. His researches extended beyond statistical matters to include natural history with his reports of these often including illustrations. He retired from active serice in 1833 and, after his return to Britiain, was appointed as a director of the East India Company in 1840. In 1867 he was elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the East India Company by which time he had been elected as the MP for Aberdeen and the President of the Royal Asiatic Society.
Sykes frequently campaigned to provide better education and social provision. Whilst in India he had suggested that it would have been easily affordable to provide pensions and insurance for Indian soldiers in the British army, though this was not acted upon. He made suggestions for improved educational arrangements for serving soldiers and for natives and also for the provision of books and libraries in Britiain, which he was aware lagged behind other European nations in this matter. He even criticised the action of the British government in unjustifiable aggression toward the Chinese in their handling of the Taiping rebellion.
His name persists in some of the fifty six birds that he discovered for scientific record, including Sykes' lark and Sykes' wagtail.
Sold for £1,700
the first ink on paper, inscribed and signed 'Captain W. H. Sykes', the second in colour and ink on paper, inscribed 'Mamely or Wild Peacock', and a study of Karle Cave, colour and ink on paper, extensively inscribed, dated April 1851, and signed, indistinctly, with a sketch of a palace above ghats, inscribed on the reverse 'Bombay School of Art', the first 19.9 x 27.6cm., and smaller (4)
Provenance: Collection of Robert Skelton, O.B.E. (1929-2022)
William Henry Sykes (1790-1872), who rose to the rank of Colonel, served in the army of the East India Company from 1804, seeing his first action at the Siege of Bhurtpur, in 1805. By 1810 he could speak Hindi and Marathi, and, having shown such an aptitude and interest in Indian matters, was appointed a statistical manager for the Bombay government by Mountstuart Elphinstone. His researches extended beyond statistical matters to include natural history with his reports of these often including illustrations. He retired from active serice in 1833 and, after his return to Britiain, was appointed as a director of the East India Company in 1840. In 1867 he was elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the East India Company by which time he had been elected as the MP for Aberdeen and the President of the Royal Asiatic Society.
Sykes frequently campaigned to provide better education and social provision. Whilst in India he had suggested that it would have been easily affordable to provide pensions and insurance for Indian soldiers in the British army, though this was not acted upon. He made suggestions for improved educational arrangements for serving soldiers and for natives and also for the provision of books and libraries in Britiain, which he was aware lagged behind other European nations in this matter. He even criticised the action of the British government in unjustifiable aggression toward the Chinese in their handling of the Taiping rebellion.
His name persists in some of the fifty six birds that he discovered for scientific record, including Sykes' lark and Sykes' wagtail.
Auction: Live Sale: Indian, Islamic, Himalayan and South-East Asian Art 2026, 20th May, 2026
The sale includes the collection of Robert Skelton OBE, curator of Indian Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It comprises some exquisite 18th and 19th century Indian paintings and drawings as well as a fine group of modern Indian paintings with works by Shiavax Chavda (1914 - 1990), Francis Newton Souza (1924 - 2002), K Laxma Goud (B. 1940) and Jayashree Chakravarty (B. 1956). Tiles, Indian bronzes, thewa boxes, a silver gilt ewer, a ‘Koftgari’ pen box and a Mughal carved black jade dagger are also among the lots in this collection.
Also in the same sale is 10th -12th century Persian pottery, a monumental pair of 19th century doors, Persian and Syrian ceramics including tiles, also Iznic tiles from Ottoman Anatolia. Other lots include Indian bronze figures, small furniture, textiles and rugs.
Auction Location: London, UK
Monday 18th May: 10am to 5:30pm
Tuesday 19th May: 10am to 5pm
Viewing
PUBLIC EXHIBITION:
Sunday 17th May: 12pm to 4pm
Monday 18th May: 10am to 5:30pm
Tuesday 19th May: 10am to 5pm
CONTACT
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