Lady holding a lotus thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Lady holding a lotus

Painting
1900-1905 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In this scene the artist depicts an incident taken from the first story of Sir Richard Burton's free version of the 'Baitala Pachisi' ('Vikram and the Vampire or Tales of Hindu Devilry', London, 1870, pp.57ff). The story narrates how a young prince is captivated by a strange princess whom he chances upon bathing in a lotus pond in the forest. She communicates her love for him silently by flower language. Abanindranath made a number of illustrations to this text during the formative period of his style. In this scene, the traditional pool-side setting taken from Mughal and Pahari painting has been given a moody Pre-Raphaelite treatment reminiscent of Dante Gabriel Rosseti.

Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) was the pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art which flourished between 1905 and 1920. In his paintings, he sought to counter the influence of Western art as taught in art schools under the British Raj, by modernizing indigenous Moghul and Rajput traditions. His work became so influential that it was eventually accepted and regarded as a national Indian style.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleLady holding a lotus (generic title)
Materials and techniques
painted in watercolour on paper with gold pigment
Brief description
Painting, lady holding a lotus, by Abanindranath Tagore, watercolour and gold on paper, Bengal, 1900-1905
Physical description
Painting, watercolour on paper with gold pigment, in this scene a lady holds a lotus and smells the scent from it. Her lover kneels beside her having just plucked the lotus from the pool nearby. There is a large tree in the background. The artist has used gold pigment. Signature in the bottom right hand corner.
Dimensions
  • Height: 20.2cm
  • Width: 12.9cm
  • Conservation paper upon which card is mounted height: 26.5cm
  • Conservation paper upon which card is mounted width: 17.5cm
Content description
A lady holds a lotus and smells the scent from it. Her lover kneels beside her having just plucked the lotus from the pool nearby. There is a large tree in the background.
Marks and inscriptions
(Signature on right hand corner in red paint.)
Credit line
Given by Lady Sonia Wilson
Object history
Gift. RF 51/3488. From the collection of Sir E. B. Havell. Given by Lady Sonia Wilson, daughter of E.B. Havell.
Historical context
Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) was the pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art. In his paintings, he sought to counter the influence of Western art as taught in art schools under the British Raj, by modernizing indigenous Moghul and Rajput traditions. His work became so influential that it was eventually accepted and regarded as a national Indian style.

In his work, Abanindranath retrieved themes from the Indian epic past or scenes from romantic tales, such as Arabian Nights or Omar Khaiyam and reworked them in a highly romanticised style. The artist’s desire to emancipate Indian art from European influence was also fostered by Japanese artist Okakura Kakuzo, who visited him in 1902. Later, studying Japanese art under Japanese artists, Taikoan and Hilsida, Abanindranath assimilated Far Eastern techniques such as the wash into his work. His Omar Khaiyam series (1906-08) reflects such influences. Abanindranath’s use of colour was also highly personalized and found its appropriate language in two major techniques: wash and tempera.
Subjects depicted
Summary
In this scene the artist depicts an incident taken from the first story of Sir Richard Burton's free version of the 'Baitala Pachisi' ('Vikram and the Vampire or Tales of Hindu Devilry', London, 1870, pp.57ff). The story narrates how a young prince is captivated by a strange princess whom he chances upon bathing in a lotus pond in the forest. She communicates her love for him silently by flower language. Abanindranath made a number of illustrations to this text during the formative period of his style. In this scene, the traditional pool-side setting taken from Mughal and Pahari painting has been given a moody Pre-Raphaelite treatment reminiscent of Dante Gabriel Rosseti.

Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) was the pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art which flourished between 1905 and 1920. In his paintings, he sought to counter the influence of Western art as taught in art schools under the British Raj, by modernizing indigenous Moghul and Rajput traditions. His work became so influential that it was eventually accepted and regarded as a national Indian style.
Bibliographic references
  • Dr Ratan Parimoo, The paintings of the three great Tagores: Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore and Rabindranath Tagore. Chronology and comparative studies, 1973
  • B.B. Mukherjee, A Chronology of Abanindranath's Paintings, Visvabharati Quarterly', VIII, 1-2, 1942, pp.119-35
  • Arts of Bengal : the heritage of Bangladesh and eastern India : an exhibition organized by the Whitechapel Art Gallery in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum : 9 November-30 December 1979, Whitechapel Art Gallery ..., 12 January-17 February 1980, Manchester City Art Gallery ... . [London]: Whitechapel Art Gallery, [1979] Number: 085488047X (pbk.) :
Collection
Accession number
IS.306-1951

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Record createdJuly 15, 2003
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