Maharaja Ranjit Singh — A One-of-a-Kind Custom Miniature - 16 May 2026 - Custom Works

17:13 Maharaja Ranjit Singh — A One-of-a-Kind Custom Miniature
← View more custom works One-of-a-kind private commission Maharaja Ranjit Singh — A One-of-a-Kind Custom Miniature A 1/9 scale historical portrait of the Lion of the Punjab, created entirely from scratch for a private collection. 1/9 scale 200 mm Resin Original sculpt Private collection Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1/9 scale, 200 mm. A one-of-a-kind private commission by Attica Miniatures. On this page Details History background Concept Portrait Throne Armour Ornaments Gallery Commission Project details A single piece for a private collection SubjectMaharaja Ranjit Singh Scale1/9, 200 mm MaterialResin EditionOne-of-a-kind SculptureVladimir Sychev PaintingElena Aksenova CollectionPrivate collection StudioAttica Miniatures This miniature exists as a single piece, created for a private collection. Every element — the figure, throne, armour, sword, footwear, and accessories — was sculpted from scratch specifically for this project. The Lion of the Punjab A ruler, a warrior, and the founder of an empire Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839), the founder of the Sikh Empire, became known as the Lion of the Punjab: a ruler remembered for political will, military discipline, and extraordinary personal authority. As a young leader, he took control of Lahore, a former Mughal capital, and went on to unite rival Sikh misls into one of the most powerful states in early 19th-century South Asia. His court in Lahore was famous for splendour. Fine weapons, horses, jewels, textiles, and precious objects formed part of its visual language of power. Yet historical descriptions often note a striking contrast between the magnificence of the court around him and the restrained personal presence of the Maharaja himself. This contrast became central to the project: a sovereign seated on a gilded throne, wearing richly painted textile ornament over armour, yet shown with a calm expression and controlled pose. The miniature brings together courtly splendour and military identity: embroidered clothing, armour, and the authority of a ruler who was also a commander. The figure was conceived as a portrait of power: restrained, confident, and internally strong. From idea to historical figure Why Maharaja Ranjit Singh? The project began with the client’s wish to create a figure rooted in the history of the Indian subcontinent, a historical personality whose influence was real and lasting. The client had a particular interest in Sikh history and culture. After discussing several possible figures, we suggested Maharaja Ranjit Singh: a ruler, commander, unifier, and founder of the Sikh Empire. Our aim was to portray him as both a confident sovereign and a warrior. That is why he is shown seated on his throne, but dressed in armour — calm, powerful, and fully aware of his authority. The miniature was sculpted from scratch, with every element created specifically for this project. But the work did not begin with sculpting alone. At Attica Miniatures, the figure was developed by the whole team, including the studio director, art director, lead painter, and sculptor, through the study and reinterpretation of historical material. Portraits, museum objects, court imagery, weapons, textiles, and armour references were analysed together before the final form was defined. This process allowed historical research, artistic composition, and technical execution to come together before the painting began. Portrait and presence Confidence and inner strength To approach the portrait, we studied contemporary and near-contemporary images of Maharaja Ranjit Singh from museum collections and historical publications. The goal was not to idealise him, but to preserve his recognisable presence: the beard, the calm expression, the injured left eye, and the quiet authority of a ruler who did not need theatrical gestures. His left eye was treated with restraint. It is only slightly closed, enough to suggest the historical injury, but without turning the portrait into caricature. Historical portraits and court images helped define the miniature’s expression, beard, injured left eye, seated posture, and restrained sense of authority. The left eye was interpreted subtly, preserving historical character while keeping the portrait calm and dignified. Seated portrait, British Museum Seated portrait, Chandigarh Museum Ivory portrait, V&A Illustration from Tazkirat al-umarā Reference images: British Museum, Government Museum and Art Gallery Chandigarh, Victoria and Albert Museum, and British Library. Public domain reproductions via Wikimedia Commons. The throne A surviving royal object recreated in miniature Among the surviving objects associated with Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the throne offered one of the strongest visual references. It immediately defines the figure not only as a warrior, but as a sovereign. Because the original throne has survived in remarkable condition, we recreated it almost in full. The only major missing elements were the round armrests. Based on historical paintings of the throne, we interpreted them as possibly made of jasper and recreated them as a historically grounded artistic reconstruction. The painting of the throne was also treated with special care. The gold was not painted as a single flat metallic colour. It was built with lighter highlights, deeper shadows, and subtle tonal transitions to suggest the richness and movement of gold leaf. The throne was recreated as a full sculptural object, including its lower structure, carved ornament, and rounded armrests. Throne reference and reconstruction 1 / 2 Historical object Ranjit Singh throne The surviving throne of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, this royal object provided the primary reference for the throne’s overall form, floral repoussé ornament, and stepped base. Attica Miniatures Throne detail Attica Miniatures, 1/9 scale Close-up of the sculpted floral ornament and gilded surface treatment, developed to echo the richness and depth of the surviving original. Historical painting Sher Singh on throne Sher Singh seated on Ranjit Singh’s throne This painting by August Schoefft, ca. 1841–42, shows the throne in use and helped guide the interpretation of the missing rounded armrests. Attica Miniatures Back view Attica Miniatures, 1/9 scale Rear three-quarter view showing the reconstructed armrest, back profile, and the throne’s full lower structure. Museum reference image of Ranjit Singh’s throne via Wikimedia Commons, after the Victoria and Albert Museum (CC BY-SA 3.0). Painting of Sher Singh on the throne by August Schoefft, ca. 1841–42, public domain via Wikimedia Commons. Miniature photographs: Attica Miniatures. The cuirass connects the figure’s military image with Sikh spiritual identity. Armour as faith, power, and identity The symbolic cuirass The armour was not treated as a decorative costume. One of the most meaningful references was a surviving cuirass in The Wallace Collection, bearing a small gold portrait of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. This type of armour, also known as char-a’ina or “four mirrors”, consists of four plates worn over mail to protect the torso. For the miniature, this detail was important not only visually, but symbolically. It connects the figure’s military image with Sikh identity, presenting armour not only as protection, but also as a symbol of faith. This reference was translated into practical sculptural details: rectangular plates, gold ornament, fastening straps, and a small central portrait on the breastplate. The portrait is very small at 1/9 scale, but it was included because it is one of the distinctive features of this type of Sikh armour. Historical armour references helped clarify the form of the chahar-a’ina cuirass and the symbolic role of the small portrait placed at its centre. The cuirass connects the figure’s military image with Sikh identity through the small portrait of Guru Nanak at its centre. The four-plate armour was interpreted through its rectangular forms and gold ornament. The raised central ornament was recreated in sculpture, while the border pattern was painted entirely by hand. The rear view shows how the cuirass sits over the mail and wraps around the torso. Miniature photographs: Attica Miniatures. Helmet and mail Fine gold ornament and the rhythm of chainmail The helmet was based on Sikh turban helmets from North India, especially examples associated with Punjab and Lahore armour production of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. One of the important references was a turban helmet in The Wallace Collection, dated 1825–50 and probably made in Lahore, Punjab. The raised upper form of this type of helmet was designed to accommodate a turban and the uncut hair traditionally worn by Sikh warriors. On historical examples, the gilded decoration on the helmet could be applied using the kuftgari technique, where gold wire is hammered into a prepared steel surface. For the miniature, the border, upper band, and raised top were painted with small floral and scrolling motifs, echoing the engraved and gold-inlaid decoration found on surviving Sikh helmets. For the mail, we studied historical Sikh examples where iron rings were combined with brass rings. This creates a zigzag pattern often described as a Ganga-Jamuna effect. The name refers to the meeting of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers and, in armour, to the visual contrast between two metal tones. Comparable Sikh armour examples from Lahore use iron and brass rings to create chevrons, lozenges, and other repeated geometric patterns in the mail. Although the mail was sculpted, the full pattern was created by hand-painting. The brass-toned lines had to follow the sculpted links closely, so that the zigzag did not look printed on top of the surface. The helmet and mail became one of the most technically demanding surfaces of the miniature: sculpted links, hand-painted rhythm, and fine gold ornament. The close-up shows the painted Ganga-Jamuna mail pattern and the fine gold ornament on the turban helmet. The Koh-i-Noor armlet was placed on the right upper arm, between the shoulder and the elbow. The Koh-i-Noor armlet A jewel with enormous historical weight The Koh-i-Noor entered Ranjit Singh’s possession in 1813, after it had belonged to Shah Shuja, the deposed ruler of the Durrani Empire. By that time the diamond already had a long political history, passing through Mughal, Persian, Afghan, and Sikh hands. Its name is usually translated as “Mountain of Light”. Ranjit Singh is known to have worn the Koh-i-Noor on the upper arm as part of an armlet during major public occasions and when receiving important visitors. We know the form of the armlet from 19th-century visual records made after the diamond passed into British possession. One of the most useful sources is a detailed British jewellery drawing from 1851, which shows the Koh-i-Noor mounted in an armlet. Modern reconstruction work connected with the Anglo-Sikh Wars exhibition also helped clarify how the jewel may have sat on the arm. The stone seen by Ranjit Singh was larger and differently shaped than the recut diamond known today. Before it was recut in Britain in 1852, the Koh-i-Noor weighed about 191 metric carats; after recutting, its weight was reduced to 105.6 carats. This changed the proportions and appearance of the diamond, making earlier drawings especially important for understanding how the armlet was arranged before the stone was recut. The sword A weapon of courtly status and craftsmanship The sword was based on North Indian court weapons associated with Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his period. One important reference was a sword with scabbard in The Wallace Collection, traditionally linked to Ranjit Singh. The Wallace sword is dated to the late 18th or early 19th century. Its blade is made from wootz, or watered steel, known for the wave-like pattern created in the metal. The hilt is carved from walrus ivory, a rare and expensive material, while the scabbard combines wood, leather, gold, rubies, pearls, paste stones, and metal thread. Several details were useful for the miniature: the decorated hilt, the rich scabbard fittings, the use of animal forms, and the idea of the sword as a courtly object rather than a plain battlefield weapon. On the reference sword, the golden pommel and guard terminals are shaped as nilgai, an antelope native to South Asia. Zoomorphic imagery figured prominently in North Indian princely weapons; a tiger also appears at the centre of the crossguard. The close-up shows the decorated hilt, scabbard fittings, and painted ornament of the sword. Textile reconstruction From portraits to a unique painted garment The textile elements required a different type of reconstruction. Unlike armour, fabrics rarely survive in a condition that can be linked directly to a specific ruler, and the available museum textiles could not be used as direct models for Ranjit Singh’s clothing. The colour scheme was based primarily on contemporary portraits of the Maharaja. In one of them, he appears wearing a blue-green knee-length garment with red trousers; this combination became the starting point for the miniature. The ornament was developed separately. We studied North Indian court textiles, embroidered robes, and patkas — long waist sashes associated with formal male dress across the Indian subcontinent. These references helped define the structure of the decoration: floral fields, ornamental borders, decorated end panels, and larger buta-like motifs placed near the edges of the garment. The final pattern was created specifically for the miniature, rather than copied from a single surviving textile. Portraits helped define the colour concept; historical court textiles and patkas helped shape the floral borders, buta forms, and dense hand-painted ornament. The costume was developed as a layered ensemble: sash, garment border, trousers, and painted textile surfaces were designed to work together. Each floral motif was painted by hand, without repetition; layered tones, highlights, and fine brushwork give the ornament depth and texture. The same approach was carried into the footwear, where painted ornament and embroidered texture were developed with the same level of detail. Unique ornament Every flower painted individually The blue-green garment became one of the visual highlights of the miniature. It is densely covered with flowers, yet none of them is repeated. Each floral motif was painted individually, turning the textile into one of the most delicate and time-consuming surfaces of the entire piece. This was not a simple repeated pattern. Each flower was built in several layers: the basic shape, then separate petals, tonal transitions, small highlights, and fine painted lines suggesting embroidery. Different shades of blue, green, violet, yellow, and gold were used to make the ornament feel woven into the fabric rather than placed on top of it. The painter also worked to recreate the texture of textile and stitching. Tiny strokes were used to suggest threads, embroidered outlines, and the slight irregularity of hand-made ornament. The border was treated as a separate decorative zone, with denser gold scrollwork and larger motifs placed along the edge of the garment. The footwear followed the same principle. Its curved-toe silhouette was based on historical North Indian footwear, while the painted surface was developed as part of the same textile system: coloured panels, fine borders, small floral details, and gold ornament adapted to a much smaller surface. FINISHED MINIATURE A historical figure reconstructed through many sources The completed miniature brings together portrait study, museum objects, original sculpting, textile interpretation, and hand-painted detail. It is a single piece made for a private collection — not a copy of one surviving image, but a historical figure reconstructed through many sources and adapted to 1/9 scale. 1 / 6 Custom historical miniatures Have an idea for a custom historical miniature? Attica Miniatures creates bespoke historical and fantasy figures for private collectors worldwide. A custom project can begin with a historical personality, a portrait, a scene, a specific period, or a single powerful idea. Our studio can develop the concept, historical research, sculpting, accessories, painting, scenic base, and final presentation — from the first idea to the finished one-of-a-kind miniature. Discuss a Custom Project Contact by Email WhatsApp A custom miniature can begin with a single historical idea. Prefer email? Write to info@atticaminiatures.com