PORTRAIT MINIATURE OF WARREN HASTINGS Samuel Shelley (English 1756-1808) Watercolor on ivory, 3 x 2 1/2 inches, 1785
Inscribed on the original paper backing: Sam She(lley) (He)nrietta Stree(t) Covt. Garden 85
ASTINGS was sent out in the civil service of the India Office, arriving in Calcutta in 1750. He became the Governor of Bengal in 1772 and was created Governor General in 1773. He left India in 1785. Impeached on the nature of his governance, Hastings' trial began in 1788 and concluded in 1795, when he was acquitted. Unlike most of his compatriots in India, Hastings was a thoroughly honest administrator. Painted in the year of his return to England, this handsome miniature conveys a marvelous sense of the wise and beneficent character of a major player in the history of British India. $15,000
ASTINGS was sent out in the civil service of the India Office, arriving in Calcutta in 1750. He became the Governor of Bengal in 1772 and was created Governor General in 1773. He left India in 1785. Impeached on the nature of his governance, Hastings' trial began in 1788 and concluded in 1795, when he was acquitted. Unlike most of his compatriots in India, Hastings was a thoroughly honest administrator. Painted in the year of his return to England, this handsome miniature conveys a marvelous sense of the wise and beneficent character of a major player in the history of British India.