Rare Paintings
 27 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
The Mughal Emperor Jahangir (1605-1627) sitting on a throne on a terrace under a canopy - ca.1675

Source: The Rijksmuseum, Netherlands Read More
 26 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
The Mughal Emperor Jahangir (1605-1627) sitting on a throne on a terrace under a canopy - ca.1675

Source: The Rijksmuseum, Netherlands Read More
 24 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
Gouache painting on mica of Durgā pūjā. Priests worshipping the goddess Durgā in a pandal. The pandal is decorated with chandeliers and a colourful ceiling. In the centre,is the raised statue of Durgā and her children Sarasvatī, Karthika, Ganesha and Lakṣmī. On the ground at the base of the statu... Read More
 23 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
Stall for the sale of painted figures, a painting in the Company style

From northern India
Around AD 1850

Souvenir for a European visitor to India

'Company' painting is the broad style term used to describe the paintings produced by Indian artists for European patrons, particularly the ... Read More
 22 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
Maheshasuramardini sculpture at Ponnuru (Andhra Pradesh).‘Durgee slaying Mehesoor' at Ponoor in the Guntoor Circar - 1801

Watercolour drawing of a figure of Durga at Ponnuru in Andhra Pradesh, from an Album of 56 sheets of drawings (60 folios) mainly of miscellaneous architecture and sculpture... Read More
 20 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
The Kôt at Katmandoo during the Dussera - 1856

Watercolour of the Kot at Kathmandu in Nepal, by Henry Ambrose Oldfield (1822-1871), c. 1850-1863. The image is inscribed on the reverse: 'The Kôt at Katmandoo during the Dussera'.

The Durga puja (Dussehra) is the festival commemorating the vic... Read More
 16 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
Akbar with a Sarpech, from the Late Shahjahan Album
ca. 1650

Mughal dynasty
Shah Jahan (r. 1628–55)

Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper mounted on paperboard
H: 24.2 W: 15.6 cm
India

This posthumous portrait of the third Mughal emperor, Akbar (reigned 1556-1605), was commiss... Read More
 16 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
New Book:
Anvari's Divan: A Pocket Book for Akbar
By Annemarie Schimmel and Stuart Cary Welch
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York -1983

Fifteen jewel-like miniature paintings—with enlarged details—and thirteen pages of exquisitely calligraphed poetry are reproduced here ... Read More
 16 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
Akbar Hears a Petition from an Akbarnama
ca. 1604

Manohar
Mughal dynasty
Akbar(r. 1556 - 1605)

Gold and color on paper
H: 26.1 W: 14.2 cm
India

This page from the Akbarnama (History of Akbar) written by Akbar's trusted adviser Abul Fazl, illustrates the emperor seated in regal i... Read More
 13 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
View of Chittagong c.1825, showing the Washing Green. From an album compiled with his brother William.

Watercolour by Thomas Prinsep (1800-1830), of a view of Chittagong, in Bangladesh, dated c.1825. This image, from an album compiled with his brother William, shows the washing green, where cl... Read More
 12 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
A view of Chittagong (Bengal) showing European bungalows and river in distance - 5 October 1813

Water-colour painting of Chittagong showing European bungalows and a river in the distance by James George (1782-1828), 5 October 1813. Inscribed on the front in ink is: 'Chittagong. J. George. 5th ... Read More
 10 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
Maharao Madho Singh hunting wild boar
Kota, c. 1720

Madho Singh, the first ruler of Kota (r.1631-1648) gallops in pursuit of wild boar, a favourite prey of Rajput huntsmen. In this posthumous portrait, the Rao leans forward to thrust at the boar with his dagger, while the landscape is infused... Read More
 10 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
Maharaja Balwant Singh hunts a tiger
Jasrota, c. 1750

The minor Pahari nobleman Raja Balwant Singh (1723-1763) is known above all for his patronage of the artist Nainsukh, whose paintings interpret with insight and originality his master’s daily pursuits, dreams or inner concerns. In this per... Read More
 4 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
A washer man (dhobi wallah) in Delhi
Watercolour 19th century

Credit: Wellcome Library, London Read More
 4 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
A rice seller weighing out rice in an outdoor bazaar in Delhi
Watercolour 19th century

Credit: Wellcome Library, London Read More
 4 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
Shops selling colours and garlands of flowers used at festivals, Sadr bazaar, Pune, by William Carpenter, watercolour on paper, India, 1850.

A shop at Puna for the sale of colours and flower garlands used at festivals. Three small children stand in front of the stall examining the goods for sa... Read More
 2 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
A horse and groom

Varanasi, India
ca.1885
Watercolour

Copyright: © V&A Images Read More
 2 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
Calligraphic drawing (tugra) of a horse with a green and gold saddle, and Arabic calligraphy on its body.
India, late 19th century
Ink and watercolour on paper

Copyright: © V&A Images Read More
 1 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
Rao Umed Singh of Bundi killing a boar - 1790
Bundi, India
Opaque watercolour on paper

This dramatic scene shows Rao Umed Singh, who ruled the state of Bundi in Rajasthan from 1749 to ca.1773. He is shown with a halo to indicate his kingship. In one hand he carries a bow, and in the other a ... Read More
 1 Oct 2012 Rare Paintings
A groom with a horse and carriage - 1845
Calcutta, India
Artist: Shaykh Muhammad Amir of Karraya
Opaque watercolour on paper

The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. This is one of two pictures from a set made for a Calcutta resident, showi... Read More
 30 Sep 2012 Rare Paintings
Vrihaspati (Brihaspati or Jupiter)

Watercolour painting on paper of a crowned male figure, riding on the back of a caparisoned elephant. The elephant’s head is also painted. The figure carries a lotus in his right hand and a spear over his left shoulder. Behind the figures, trees and hills can... Read More