Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Oudh (1775–1797)

Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Oudh from 1784 was painted during Johann Zoffany's seven-year sojourn in India, where he traveled between 1783 and 1789 to seek new patronage and explore new subjects. The Nawab of Oudh was one of the wealthiest princes in India and an important patron of European artists who visited the subcontinent during the British colonial expansion. Zoffany's oil technique achieved exceptional textural fidelity in the rendering of fabrics, scientific instruments, and domestic interiors, combining Flemish-inspired precision with a natural observation of group dynamics and individual character. Zoffany's Indian period produced some of his most significant works, including his famous painting of the Tiger Hunt with Asaf-ud-Daula and other court compositions that document the complex cultural encounters of late eighteenth-century colonial India. The British Library's holding of this portrait connects it to the institutional archive of British engagement with India, where Zoffany's paintings occupy an important place as visual documents of the colonial encounter and its aristocratic protocols.

The portrait combines European portrait conventions with attention to the Indian ruler's distinctive dress and setting, demonstrating Zoffany's adaptability to new cultural contexts.