Sir Arthur Bigge, later Lord Stamfordham (1849-1931)

Rudolf Swoboda was the Austrian painter commissioned by Queen Victoria to depict the Indian servants and attendants who served the Royal household, creating an important pictorial record of the Empire's human diversity as represented within the Queen's domestic circle. His 1889 portrait of Sir Arthur Bigge (later Lord Stamfordham), the Queen's private secretary, is unusual in depicting a British official rather than his typical Indian subjects. As a document of the Victorian court, this portrait records the man who was a crucial intermediary between Victoria and her governments. The work is currently in a private royal or aristocratic collection.

The portrait of the official is rendered with Swoboda's competent naturalist technique — direct observation of the sitter's specific features within the conventions of formal portraiture. His palette is warm and controlled. The work's interest is primarily historical and documentary rather than representing his most characteristic work with Indian subjects.