We don’t have an image of this object online yet. V&A Images may have a photograph that we can’t show online, but it may be possible to supply one to you. Email us at vaimages@vam.ac.uk for guidance about fees and timescales, quoting the accession number: IS.16-1892
Find out about our images

Not currently on display at the V&A

Copy of painting in the caves of Ajanta (cave 16)

Oil Painting
1884-1885 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The cave paintings of Ajanta are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They depict stories from the lives of the Buddha (the jatakas) and date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480. The cave complex was discovered in 1819 and since then attempts have been made to document the paintings inside them. In 1844 Major Robert Gill was commissioned to make copies. Unfortunately most of the paintings he completed were destroyed in a fire in 1866. To make up for this loss, from 1872, John Griffiths from the Bombay school of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter for the following 13 years at the caves producing approximately 300 paintings, of which this is an example.


Object details

Category
Object type
Titles
  • Copy of painting in the caves of Ajanta (cave 16) (series title)
  • Copy of painting from the caves of Ajanta (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Oil on canvas
Brief description
Copy of painting in the caves of Ajanta by John Griffiths and students of the Bombay School of Art.
Physical description
This painting had been badly damaged by fire and water. It shows a group of people and two children near a doorway, one is carrying an umbrella.
Dimensions
  • Painting height: 1770mm
  • Painting width: 1500mm
  • With frame height: 1810mm
  • With frame width: 1510mm
  • With frame depth: 40mm
Credit line
Received from the India Office
Object history
Historical significance: This painting depicts scenes from the Visvantara Jataka. (Ref: Dieter Schlingloff)
Historical context
The cave paintings of Ajanta are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They depict stories from the lives of the Buddha (the jatakas) and date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480. The cave complex was discovered in 1819 and since then attempts have been made to document the paintings inside them. In 1844 Major Robert Gill was commissioned to make copies. Unfortunately most of the paintings he completed were destroyed in a fire in 1866. To make up for this loss, from 1872, John Griffiths from the Bombay school of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter for the following 13 years at the caves producing approximately 300 paintings, of which this is an example.
Summary
The cave paintings of Ajanta are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They depict stories from the lives of the Buddha (the jatakas) and date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480. The cave complex was discovered in 1819 and since then attempts have been made to document the paintings inside them. In 1844 Major Robert Gill was commissioned to make copies. Unfortunately most of the paintings he completed were destroyed in a fire in 1866. To make up for this loss, from 1872, John Griffiths from the Bombay school of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter for the following 13 years at the caves producing approximately 300 paintings, of which this is an example.
Bibliographic references
  • Griffiths, J, The paintings in the Buddhist cave temples of Ajanta, India, 1896
  • Schlingloff, D, Guide to the Ajanta paintings, Vol. 1, New Delhi, 1999.
  • Burgess, J, Notes on the Bauddha Rock-Temples of Ajanta, Bombay, 1879
Collection
Accession number
IS.16-1892

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJuly 13, 2005
Record URL
Download as: JSON