‘Colonel Mordaunt’s Cock Match’
During my career I have written and published widely, including books, journals, blogs, plus numerous magazine and newspaper articles. I am currently writing my debut history book on ‘Colonel Mordaunt’s Cock Match’, the famous painting by Johan Zoffany.
Dating from the 1780s, the painting, at least in theory, depicts a cock fight in Lucknow, India, between the fighting birds of Colonel John Mordaunt of the East India Company and Asaf-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Oudh. In reality, it is actually an acute commentary on the life of European officials and Indian princely courts at the beginning of the British Empire.
Painted by Johan Zoffany in Lucknow, 1786
Constantia Palace - the home of Claude Martin, seen sat in the red coat in the painting (taken on a research trip to Lucknow in March 2026)
My fascination with the ‘Cock Match’ began when I used to teach university students about the Empire by analysing the painting to challenge stubborn and dated views of our past. The ‘Cock Match’ is probably the most important painting of the entire Empire period - my book reveals the remarkable stories of those featured, the life of the painting itself via its numerous owners, plus how interpretations of the Cock Match have changed radically over time, with it standing as a metaphor for our understanding of the Empire itself.
After two years of research, which has taken me to places as far apart as India and Gloucestershire, the book is now being written, appearing in all good book shops soon…