Identify the painter who painted, “Mackenzie and his assistants” in c. 1825?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Thomas Hickey
The picture ‘Mackenzie and his assistants’ is a copy of an oil painting by the portrait painter Thomas Hickey, made in c. 1825. It shows Colonel Colin Mackenzie, who brought the ruins of Hampi to light, with his peon Kistnaji and his Brahmana assistants. One of these assistants is the Telugu Brahmana Cauvellery Ventak Letchmiah, so Ventak Letchmiah is a person in the painting, not its painter.
Tip: The painter, the date and every person in this painting are named in the few lines under it. Read the caption of each picture as carefully as the text; whole questions are made from them.
NCERT: Themes in Indian History Part II — Chapter 7: An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara (2025-26)
Fig. 7.2 Mackenzie and his assistants This is a copy by an unknown artist of an oil painting by the portrait painter Thomas Hickey. It dates to c.1825 and belongs to the collection of the Royal Asiatic Society of Britain and Ireland. On Mackenzie’s left is his peon Kistnaji holding a telescope, on his right are Brahmana assistants – a Jaina pandit (right) and behind him the Telugu Brahmana Cauvellery Ventak Letchmiah. |
