Not currently on display at the V&A

Brush Drawing

ca. 1820 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The holy men shown in this brush drawing belong to a sect called the Nath yogis. They are also known as kanphata ('split ear') yogis as they wear distinctively large circular ear-rings, which are visible in the painting. This group of yogis is shown in a mountainous setting, where they are listening to the preaching of one of their early preceptors. Maharaja Man Singh of Jodhpur (ruled 1803-43) was a devotee of this sect, as he believed one of their leaders had helped him occupy the throne. His court artists were therefore commissioned to paint a great many images of the Naths and their leaders. This sketch may be a preparatory drawing for one of the beautifully painted sets of Nath scriptures that Man Singh had painted.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Painted in watercolour on paper
Brief description
Painting, gathering of nath yogis, watercolour on paper, Jodhpur, ca. 1820
Physical description
Painting, watercolour on paper, of a group of nath yogis, listening to their leader preaching in a setting surrounded by mountains, probably Hardwar where the Ganges enters the Jumna.
Dimensions
  • Height: 227mm
  • Width: 180mm
05/06/2013 dimensions measured as part of Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project 2013
Content description
A group of nath yogis, listening to their leader preaching in a setting surrounded by mountains, probably Hardwar where the Ganges enters the Jumna.
Style
Credit line
Given by Colonel T. G. Gayer-Anderson, CMG, DSO, and his twin brother Major R. G. Gayer- Anderson, Pasha.
Object history
From the Gayer-Anderson Collection.
Subjects depicted
Summary
The holy men shown in this brush drawing belong to a sect called the Nath yogis. They are also known as kanphata ('split ear') yogis as they wear distinctively large circular ear-rings, which are visible in the painting. This group of yogis is shown in a mountainous setting, where they are listening to the preaching of one of their early preceptors. Maharaja Man Singh of Jodhpur (ruled 1803-43) was a devotee of this sect, as he believed one of their leaders had helped him occupy the throne. His court artists were therefore commissioned to paint a great many images of the Naths and their leaders. This sketch may be a preparatory drawing for one of the beautifully painted sets of Nath scriptures that Man Singh had painted.
Bibliographic reference
R.Crill, Marwar Painting: A History of the Jodhpur style (Mumbai, India Book House, 2000), p.123.
Collection
Accession number
IS.242-1952

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Record createdDecember 29, 2005
Record URL
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