Painting, Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi on horseback, opaque watercolour on paper, Kalighat, Kolkata, ca. 1885

Painting, in opaque watercolour on paper, Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi on horseback. The Mutiny heroine, she was a fierce opponent of the British, and was killed in battle against them at Gwalior in 1858. Although she is sometimes depicted in male dress, she is shown here wearing a red outfit and a plumed hat, large earrings, bracelet and necklace. In her right hand the Rani holds a small riding crop and the horse's reins in her left.

Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi on horseback. She is shown here wearing a red outfit and a plumed hat, large earrings, bracelet and necklace. In her right hand the Rani holds a small riding crop and the horse's reins in her left.

Purchased from Miss M Sheele.

Historical significance: Calcutta was recognised as 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.

Acquired by the Museum from Miss M. Steele in 1950. This picture from a series which was being part of a collection inherited from her mother, a scholar in Sanskrit at Cambridge in 1894. When delivering the collection, Miss Steele reported that her grandmother had also lived in India for some time and that it was possible that the pictures were originally collected by her grandmother.

IS.655-1950