A small steatite statue of Maharajah Ranjit Singh enthroned Punjab, mid-19th Century on rectangular stepped base, naturalistically carved, seated in typical pose on a rounded chair with one foot tucked onto seat, the other resting on a footstool, his right eye inlaid with glass, his right hand holding prayer beads 13 cm. high Footnotes: Another steatite figure of Maharajah Ranjit Singh seated in the same pose is published in Davinder Toor, In Pursuit of Empire, London, 2018, pp. 102-105. The depiction of the Maharajah seated in his distinctive rounded chair, with one knee bent with his foot tucked onto the chair, is inspired by Emily Eden's famous watercolour depiction in Portraits of the Princes and People of India, London, 1844 and by contemporary accounts of his habits. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com