Painting, the Mahant working as a prison gardener, watercolour and tin alloy on paper, Kalighat, Kolkata, ca. 1880

Painting, in watercolour and tin alloy on paper, episode of the Tarakeshwar affair, the Mahant working as a prison gardener, wearing a red and silver striped dhoti and holding a black watering can to water a large red flower. Above the Mahant the prison warder, nearly twice his height, is wearing a black striped top hat, black coat with cut-aways, grey trousers and black shoes. In his hand, he holds a striped black staff. The fair complexion of the warder and the hairstyle suggest he is British or of mixed heritage.

The Mahant working as a prison gardener, wearing a red and silver striped dhoti and holding a black watering can to water a large red flower. Above the Mahant the prison warder, nearly twice his height, is wearing a black striped top hat, black coat with cut-aways, grey trousers and black shoes.

The Tarakeshwar murder case of 1873 was a public scandal in Calcutta based on an affair between Elokeshi the young attractive wife of Nabinchandra Banerji and the mahant or chief priest of the Shiva temple at Tarakeshwar. Upon discovery of the affair, on 27 May 1873 her jealous husband Nabinchandra Banerji cut Elokeshi's throat with a fish knife. In the trial that followed Nabin was sentenced to life imprisonment and the Mahant was fined and imprisoned for 3 years. Different variations of this affair favouring the various characters occur in several Bengali plays and Kalighat images between 1875-80. See Archer p12.

Purchased from Mrs K. Gregory.

Historical significance: Calcutta was the capital of British India from 1833-1912. By the 1830s, artists had arrived from rural villages in Bengal and began to produce paintings that reflected local history, mythology, customs and conflicts of a colonised society. As a popular art form, these artists are recognised for their use of brilliant colour, simplified images and swift brushstrokes that became the hallmark of Kalighat painting in the 19th and early 20th century.

Following his imprisonment the Mahant was given various menial tasks including that of prison gardener. In this context the artist may also have a given the red flower a symbolic significance as red is the colour of courtesans and by implication illicit passion.
(Archer p 61)

IS.113-1965