A military officer of the East India Company thumbnail 1
A military officer of the East India Company thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

A military officer of the East India Company

Painting
ca. 1765 - ca. 1770 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Murshidabad (made)

The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. This one shows a military officer of the East India Company. The Indian artist has used the technique and style of the late Mughal Murshidabad school of painting. However, the style is moving in the direction of Company painting. The tree in particular shows the influence of European watercolours. The river is probably the Bhagirathi in West Bengal.


Object details

Categories
Paintings
Indian Company Paintings
SCRAN
Object type
Painting
TitleA military officer of the East India Company (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Opaque watercolour on paper
Paper
Opaque Watercolour
Painted
Brief description
Painting; gouache, A military officer of the East India Company, Murshidabad, ca. 1765 - ca. 1770
Physical description
A military officer of the East India Company is standing with his dog and a boy attendant under a tree on the bank of a river. The attendant holds a sword across his arm.
Dimensions
  • Height: 333mm (maximum)
  • Width: 264mm (maximum)
  • Image within innermost painted borders height: 277mm (maximum)
  • Image within innermost painted borders width: 215mm (maximum)
14/08/2013 dimensions measured as part of Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project 2013
Style
Company
Object history
IS.10 to 18-1954 were purchased from Maggs Bros., London W1.
Production
The painting is in the style of Murshidabad school. The composition shows the growing assimilation of European techniques by Murshidabad artists, particularly depiction of the tree.
Subjects depicted
Occupations, Military Officers
East India Company
Summary
The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. This one shows a military officer of the East India Company. The Indian artist has used the technique and style of the late Mughal Murshidabad school of painting. However, the style is moving in the direction of Company painting. The tree in particular shows the influence of European watercolours. The river is probably the Bhagirathi in West Bengal.
Bibliographic references
  • Archer, Mildred. Company Paintings Indian Paintings of the British period Victoria and Albert Museum Indian Series London: Victoria and Albert Museum, Maplin Publishing, 1992, 77 p. ISBN 0944142303
  • Das, N. and Llewellyn-Jones, R. (eds.). Murshidabad: Forgotten Capital of Bengal, ISBN 978-81-921106-9-1. Marg, Mumbai, 2013. ISBN 978-81-921106-9-1. p. 21, pl. 2
  • Arts of Bengal : the heritage of Bangladesh and eastern India : an exhibition organized by the Whitechapel Art Gallery in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum : 9 November-30 December 1979, Whitechapel Art Gallery ..., 12 January-17 February 1980, Manchester City Art Gallery ... . [London]: Whitechapel Art Gallery, [1979] Number: 085488047X (pbk.) : p.48
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IS.16-1955

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O17543/a-military-officer-of-the-painting-unknown/
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