Copy of painting in the caves of Ajanta (cave 16)
Oil Painting
1881-1883 (made)
1881-1883 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a copy of a painting in cave 16 at Ajanta. The white patches cover fragile areas that require conservation work.
The cave paintings of Ajanta are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480 and depict stories from the lives of the Buddha (the Jatakas).
This painting shows scenes from the Devavatara Jataka where the Buddha is preaching in the heaven of Indra, the king of the gods. After three months in heaven he begins his descent from the gods (Devavatara) to earth. Here he depicted after his descent preaching to people near Samkasya.
The cave complex was discovered in 1819 and attempts were 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 to 1885 John Griffiths from the Bombay School of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter at the caves. This is one of the approximately 300 paintings they produced.
The cave paintings of Ajanta are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480 and depict stories from the lives of the Buddha (the Jatakas).
This painting shows scenes from the Devavatara Jataka where the Buddha is preaching in the heaven of Indra, the king of the gods. After three months in heaven he begins his descent from the gods (Devavatara) to earth. Here he depicted after his descent preaching to people near Samkasya.
The cave complex was discovered in 1819 and attempts were 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 to 1885 John Griffiths from the Bombay School of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter at the caves. This is one of the approximately 300 paintings they produced.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Copy of painting in the caves of Ajanta (cave 16) (series title) |
| Materials and techniques | Oil on canvas |
| Brief description | Copy of Fresco 'b' in Cave '16' in the caves of Ajanta by John Griffiths and students from the Bombay School of Art, oil on canvas, 1872-1885, India. |
| Physical description | In the centre of this painting is a Buddha figure surrounded by green, his face is not visible. Around him on both sides are gathered lots of people, all looking towards him, some have trays of offerings in their hands. The actual wall painting from which this is copied is missing a lot of pigment and so it is only possible to see some of the details. |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Received from the India Office |
| Object history | Historical significance: The paintings inside the caves of Ajanta tell stories from the lives of the Buddha. The main part of this painting depicts scenes from the Devavatara Jataka. Narrative: The Buddha is preaching in Indra’s heaven. He spends three months in heaven and then sets of on his descent from the gods (Devavatara) to earth. After his descent he preaches to people near Samkasya. (ref: Deiter 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. |
| Production | Painted by John Griffiths and students from the Bombay School of Art |
| Subject depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | This is a copy of a painting in cave 16 at Ajanta. The white patches cover fragile areas that require conservation work. The cave paintings of Ajanta are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480 and depict stories from the lives of the Buddha (the Jatakas). This painting shows scenes from the Devavatara Jataka where the Buddha is preaching in the heaven of Indra, the king of the gods. After three months in heaven he begins his descent from the gods (Devavatara) to earth. Here he depicted after his descent preaching to people near Samkasya. The cave complex was discovered in 1819 and attempts were 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 to 1885 John Griffiths from the Bombay School of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter at the caves. This is one of the approximately 300 paintings they produced. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.85-1887 |
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| Record created | November 25, 2005 |
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