TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 145

Unveiling Misattribution: The True Identity of the Subjects in the Kuthiramālika Palace Double Portrait

The misattribution of old portraits can often be traced back to a lack of detailed records or documentation surrounding the identities of the sitters and the artists who painted them. In many cases, these portraits have been passed down through generations or displayed in collections with little to no supporting information, leading to confusion about their true subjects.

A significant example of this issue is the double portrait in the Kuthiramālika Palace collection (Fort Palace complex, Thiruvananthapuram), which has been mistakenly identified as depicting Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma, the Maharaja of Travancore, and his younger brother Uthram Tirunal Marthanda Varma. For years, this portrait was associated with the royal family of Travancore due to their prominence and the likeness to known portraits of the two brothers. However, further research has revealed that the artwork, by F.C. Lewis, a European itinerant painter, actually depicts Sri Padmanabhan Tampi and Sri Nilakantan Tampi, sons of Maharajah Uthram Tirunal Marthanda Varma, from Nagercoil Ammaveedu.

Colonel Heber Drury, a famed botanist and a British army officer stationed in Travancore, provides a valuable glimpse into the private life of the Maharajah in his book ‘Reminiscences of Life and Sport in Southern India,’ where he describes his meeting with the Maharajah and his children. Drury, like many Europeans of the time, mistakenly identifies the children of the Maharajah—who are simply ‘Tampis’, ‘Tankachis’, or ‘Kochammas’—as ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’. He writes, “A messenger was forthwith despatched [by the Maharajah] to the nursery to ask mamma [Nagercoil Ammachi, consort of Maharajah Uthram Tirunal Marthanda Varma] to let the little ones come down, and in a few moments the small fry made their appearance. I may say without exaggeration that I seldom met a more interesting-looking youth than the eldest boy, a lad of about ten years old. He is very fair, with an intelligent countenance. He seemed so good and amiable, and talked English exceedingly well. He was dressed in a scarlet frock, embroidered with gold lace, on his head was a brocaded cap, beneath which his jet-black hair made a striking and beautiful contrast with his charming features. The next was a boy about four or five years younger, and the third, a little girl, in whom papa [the Maharajah] seemed to take especial interest and pride.”

The successful identification of the subjects in the portrait can be traced back to the careful examination of another painting (in the same collection) by F.C. Lewis—his large canvas depicting the reception of Queen Victoria’s presents by Maharajah Uthram Tirunal (more on this later). In this grand work, the sons of Maharajah Marthanda Varma, namely Sri Padmanabhan Tampi and Sri Nilakantan Tampi, are prominently featured, alongside the royals and other distinguished courtiers.

The proper identification of the sons of Maharajah Marthanda Varma, after all these years, not only gives a face to figures who were prominent in the social and political circles of their time but also restores their rightful place in historical narratives.

10.02.2025