Maharaja Serfoji II (or Sarabhoji II Bhonsle, r. 1798-1832) was born in 1777 in the Maratha royal clan and adopted in 1787 by King Tulajaji II (r. 1763-1787) of Thanjavur (Tanjore). He was installed by the British as the titular king of Thanjavur in 1798 until his death in 1832. See also AS2001.2.
When this painting was acquired in 1990, the subject was identified as Raja Amar Singh (or Ramaswami Amarasimha Bhonsle, r. 1793-1798). He served as the regent of Thanjavur from 1787 to 1793 and, after usurping the throne, as its ruler until 1798 when Serfoji II was restored to power by the British with his sovereignty restricted to the Thanjavur Fort and its environs. The administration of the kingdom was thenceforth assumed by the British. Amar Singh had strenuously resisted the growing British hegemony. The depiction of an English dignitary seated in the carriage directly behind the ruler thus suggests the personages are more likely Serfoji II and the British District Collector Charles Harris (officiated 1799-1804) or the British Resident William Blackburne (officiated 1801-1823). The Indian official seated facing the ruler is likely an important minister.
Grand ceremonial processions were a fashionable expression of royal pomp in Thanjavur, especially during the Dussehra festival in the month of Ashvin (September/October). Comparable processional scenes are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (IM.319-1921 and IM.10-1938) and the British Library, London (Add.Or.2594).
