This is an archive article published on April 15, 2023

UK govt imposes temporary export ban on painting depicting Indian soldiers who fought for the British during WW1

The government hopes to find a domestic buyer for the painting by Anglo-Hungarian artist Philip de László

4 min readUpdated: Apr 15, 2023 10:11 PM IST

The portrait depicts cavalry officers Risaldar Jagat Singh and Risaldar Man Singh, who were junior troop commanders in the British Indian Army’s Expeditionary Force who served in the Battle of the Somme and supposedly died in action. (Source: www.gov.uk)

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UK govt imposes temporary export ban on painting depicting Indian soldiers who fought for the British during WW1

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Months after it was announced that a British Indian Army Memorial commemorating the sacrifice of millions of Indian soldiers who fought for the British during the two World Wars will be built in the Scottish city of Glasgow, the UK government has placed an export ban on a painting by Anglo-Hungarian artist Philip de László of two Indian soldiers who served in the First World War.

According to a press release issued by UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the gov.uk website, the unfinished portrait is valued at £650,000. It depicts cavalry officers Risaldar Jagat Singh and Risaldar Man Singh, who were junior troop commanders in the British Indian Army’s Expeditionary Force who served in the Battle of the Somme and supposedly died in action.

Also Read | Discriminated even in death’: How Indian soldiers battled racism overseas during World War I

In a statement issued, Lord Stephen Parkinson, UK Arts and Heritage Minister, stated, “This wonderful and sensitive portrait captures an important moment in our history as soldiers were drawn from across the globe to help fight in the trenches of the First World War.”

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The soldiers reportedly sat for Laszlo in London for two months before being sent to France to fight. Considered a rare depiction of Indian participants in World War I, the painting was in the artist’s studio till his death in 1937, and the UK government hopes it is acquired by a domestic buyer.

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The decision for the export licence application for the painting has been deferred for a period ending on July 13, 2023. The decision has been made following the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, on the basis of “outstanding significance to the study of the Indian contribution to the war effort and the individuals involved”.

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In the release, Committee Member Peter Barber states, “Philip de László was one of Britain’s most distinguished society portrait painters of the early twentieth century. But this sensitive portrait, all the more powerful because it is unfinished, offers an exceptionally rare glimpse not of maharajahs or generals but of two ‘ordinary’ middle-ranking Sikh soldiers about to depart for the horrors of the Battle of the Somme. The enormous contribution made by them and millions of other Indians to Britain’s war effort between 1914 and 1918 has until recently been largely overlooked and the life stories of de László’s sitters remain to be uncovered. Yet numerous descendants of Indian soldiers now live in Britain, rendering the portrait ‘British’ at several, increasingly significant, levels.”

According to the press release, at the end of the first deferral period, owners will have a consideration period of 15 business days to consider any offer to purchase the painting at the recommended price of £650,000 (plus VAT of £130,000, which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution).The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for three months.

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

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