"These men are a key part of our story. Their portrait should be seen"

WHEN THE RENOWNED ANGLO-HUNGARIAN painter Philip de László died in 1937, an unusual double portrait was found in his private collection

- Kavita Puriis

It depicts two Indian men in military uniform, standing in a dignified pose, both wearing khaki turbans. The piece – pictured below – clearly stood apart from much of his work, which chiefly involved painting the most wealthy and powerful in European society, including monarchs and nobles. Today the importance of this painting is being recognised – and not just by art historians.

On 14 April this year, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport posted a plea on its Instagram page: “This rare… painting is valued at £650,000… It is at risk of leaving the UK unless a domestic buyer can be found.” That post identifies the sitters as “Troop commanders in the British Indian Army’s Expeditionary Force – Risaldar Jagat Singh and Risaldar Man Singh – [who] fought in the battle of the Somme.”

These soldiers sat for László two months before that clash in 1916 – two of many from across the British empire who came to fight in the war in Europe. In a handwritten note accompanying the painting, each of the men gave his name, regiment and rank.