19th Century Victoria Cross Painting

Item Description

19th-century oil on canvas depiction of Earl Frederick Sleigh Roberts VC retrieving a standard from two Sepoys, on 2nd January 1858, at Khudaganj during the 1857-59 Indian Mutiny, in gilt plaster and wood frame with an indistinct artist signature to bottom right. 24cm X 34cm.

One of the standout lots in the upcoming Antiques and Interiors sale on the 3rd September is an oil painting depicting a moment in time during the successful career of the highly decorated military commander Earl Frederick Sleigh Roberts.

Who was Frederick Sleigh Roberts?

Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, was born in India in 1830 to an Anglo-Irish family. Roberts was educated in Great Britain at notable establishments, such as Eton, the Military Academy of Sandhurst, and Addiscombe Military Seminary.

After completing his schooling, he joined the Army as a second lieutenant with the Bengal Artillery on 12th December 1851. He was later transferred to the Bengal Horse Artillery in 1854 and promoted to lieutenant on 31 May 1857.

He fought through various conflicts throughout the mid to late 19th-century and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallant actions on the 2nd January 1858, at Khudaganj during the 1857-59 Indian Mutiny.

The citation for his Victoria Cross reads:

Lieutenant Roberts' gallantry has on every occasion been most marked. On following the retreating enemy on 2 January 1858, at Khodagunge, he saw in the distance two Sepoys going away with a standard. Lieutenant Roberts put spurs to his horse, and overtook them just as they were about to enter a village. They immediately turned round, and presented their muskets at him, and one of the men pulled the trigger, but fortunately the caps snapped, and the standard-bearer was cut down by this gallant young officer, and the standard taken possession of by him. He also, on the same day, cut down another Sepoy who was standing at bay, with musket and bayonet, keeping off a Sowar. Lieutenant Roberts rode to the assistance of the horseman and, rushing at the Sepoy, with one blow of his sword, cut him across the face, killing him on the spot.

After this action, he went on to have a flourishing career and reached the highest rank possible at the time in the British Army, becoming the last Commander-in-Chief of the Forces. He died in November 1914 from pneumonia while on a trip to meet Indian forces fighting on the Western Front. His body was transported to London, and after lying in state at Westminster Cathedral, he was then buried at St Paul's Cathedral.

During the 20th-century, he was one of only two people to lie in state who were non-royal family members, the other being Sir Winston Churchill.