Painting thumbnail 1
Painting thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Painting

ca. 1885 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Painting, in opaque watercolour on paper, a Hindu priest sitting outside the temple of Taraknath at Tarakeshwar smoking a nargila or huqqa pipe.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour on paper
Brief description
Painting, priest sitting outside Taraknath temple, Kalighat, Kolkata, ca. 1885
Physical description
Painting, in opaque watercolour on paper, a Hindu priest sitting outside the temple of Taraknath at Tarakeshwar smoking a nargila or huqqa pipe.
Dimensions
  • Height: 20in
  • Width: 13in
Content description
A Hindu priest sitting outside the temple of Taraknath at Tarakeshwar smoking a nargila or huqqa pipe.
Style
Marks and inscriptions
(handwritten on object)
Translation
[setting]
Transliteration
'taraknath'
Object history
Acquired from Miss M Steele, being part of a collection inherited from her mother

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.
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic references
  • Archer, W G: 'Kalighat Paintings', V&A, 1971, p71, 25lvi
  • Sinha, Suhashini, and Panda, C, eds. Kalighat Paintings from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2012. ISBN 1851776656. p. 81
Collection
Accession number
IS.589-1950

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Record createdJanuary 13, 2003
Record URL
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