Title: Robert Clive (1725-74).
Description: Robert Clive was appointed to the East India Company's civil service at Madras in 1743, just before the outbreak of war on the Coromandel coast. Transferring to the military in 1747, he made his reputation with an attack on the fort of Arcot in 1751, and the destruction of Geriah on the west coast of India in 1755. His greatest success was the Battle of Plassey and the recapture of Calcutta from Siraj-ud-Daulah in 1757, after which the Company began to be an imperial power more than a trading company.
Creator: Sir Nathanial Dance (artist), Francesco Bartolozzi (engraver).
Date: 1788
Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London
