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Nawab Mir Qasim

Painting
ca.1760 - ca. 1763 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Murshidabad (made)

Painting, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Nawab Mir Qasim seated on a riverside terrace, conversing with a Hindu official.


Object details

Categories
Paintings
Bonita Trust Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project
Object type
Painting
TitleNawab Mir Qasim (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Opaque Watercolour
Paper
Paint
Gold
Painted
Brief description
Painting, Nawab Mir Qasim on terrace, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Murshidabad, ca. 1760-1763
Physical description
Painting, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Nawab Mir Qasim seated on a riverside terrace, conversing with a Hindu official.
Dimensions
  • Height: 336mm
  • Width: 261mm
  • Image within innermost painted borders height: 283mm
  • Image within innermost painted borders width: 217mm
14/08/2013 dimensions measured as part of Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project 2013
Content description
Nawab Mir Qasim seated on a riverside terrace, conversing with a Hindu official.
Style
Mughal
Object history
Historical significance: Nawab Mir Qasim Ali Khan was a historical figure. He ruled over Bengal for four years.

Acquisition source not recorded. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project.

RP 51/2237
Production
The painting is in the style of the Mughal provincial court painting, in particular Murshidabad school. For further information please see D.1201-1903.
Mir Qasim 'Ali Khan was appointed Nawab of Bengal by the East India Company in 1760, but soon came to conflict with the Company over the question of duties in inland trade. He was deposed as Nawab in 1763. Therefore the the date of the painting can be narrowed down to 1760 - 1763.
Robert Skelton pointed out that an invention of the Murshidabad painters, viz the introduction of a slightly bloated expression produced by fine stippling on unnaturally grey or brownish white faces, had appeared faintly in this picture.
Subjects depicted
Swords
Officer
Ruler
Terrace
River
Nawab Mir Qasim
Bibliographic references
  • Skelton, Robert, 'Murshidabad Painting', Marg, Vol.X, No.1, December 1956, pp.16-19 and pl.10
  • Das, N. and Llewellyn-Jones, R. (eds.). Murshidabad: Forgotten Capital of Bengal, ISBN 978-81-921106-9-1. Marg, Mumbai, 2013. ISBN 978-81-921106-9-1. p.89, pl. 7
  • 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.) : p.47
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
D.1178-1903

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Record createdMarch 5, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O96320/nawab-mir-qasim-painting-unknown/
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