William Archer was ‘a white colonial killer and civil service sycophant’. The Indian paintings he collected were sold at British auction house Lyon and Turnbull.
Notorious ICS officer named William Archer who personally authorised the shooting of seven unarmed schoolboys trying to hoist the national flag above the walls of the Patna secretariat in August 1942.
Many of the 60 paintings were acquired in the pre-independence period by Archer and his wife Mildred when they lived in India between 1931 and 1947. They range from 17th and 18th century Malwa (Madhya Pradesh) miniatures illustrating the Ramayana and Bhagavata Purana to others depicting aristocrats from the Punjab hills. Modestly-priced Santhal paintings from Bihar are also in the collection.
All in all, 162 items were sold. The highest amount, £156,451, was paid for a gouache and gold on paper (26.5cm x 21.6cm), laid down on card, inscribed in black centre top in Takri, depicting Guru Hargobind in a white jama with patterned gold sprigs.
