Copy of painting inside the caves of Ajanta (cave 16)
Oil Painting
1881-1883 (made)
1881-1883 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a copy of a painting in cave 16 at Ajanta. These paintings date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480 and are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They depict stories from the lives of the Buddha (the Jatakas).
The scenes here are from the Mahisa Jataka. It tells the story of a man with special powers who sees that a buffalo (Mahisa) wants to bathe in the lake. The buffalo is being tormented by a monkey that has climbed up on his back. The man throws the monkey to the ground and teaches the buffalo a protective charm in the presence of the god Indra, seen here wearing an ornate crown.
The Ajanta cave complex was discovered in 1819 and since then attempts have been made to document the paintings inside them. In 1844 Major Robert Gill was commissioned to make copies. Unfortunately most of the paintings he completed were destroyed in a fire in 1866. To replace them, from 1872 to 1885 John Griffiths from the Bombay School of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter at the caves producing approximately 300 paintings. This is one of them.
The scenes here are from the Mahisa Jataka. It tells the story of a man with special powers who sees that a buffalo (Mahisa) wants to bathe in the lake. The buffalo is being tormented by a monkey that has climbed up on his back. The man throws the monkey to the ground and teaches the buffalo a protective charm in the presence of the god Indra, seen here wearing an ornate crown.
The Ajanta cave complex was discovered in 1819 and since then attempts have been made to document the paintings inside them. In 1844 Major Robert Gill was commissioned to make copies. Unfortunately most of the paintings he completed were destroyed in a fire in 1866. To replace them, from 1872 to 1885 John Griffiths from the Bombay School of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter at the caves producing approximately 300 paintings. This is one of them.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
|
| Materials and techniques | Oil on canvas |
| Brief description | Copy of Fresco 'H' in Cave '16' in the caves of Ajanta by John Griffiths and students from the Bombay School of Art, oil on canvas, 1872-1885, India. |
| Physical description | This painting depicts two cows. There is a monkey riding on the back of one of them. In the foreground there is a lake with lilies floating on the water. In the top half of the painting there are three male figures. One of them is wearing a white robe and an ornate crown. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | H
Right end wall of front aisle
cave 16
4-1 high 3-8 wide (On back of canvas) |
| Credit line | Received from the India Office |
| Object history | Commissioned by the Government of India between 1872-1885 and deposited in the India Museum, London. Historical significance: The main part of this painting depicts scenes from the Mahisa Jataka. Narrative: Standing behind a rock a genius observes that a buffalo (Mahisa), who wants to bathe in the lake is being tormented by a monkey that has climbed up on his back. After the genius has thrown the monkey to the ground, he teaches the buffalo a protective charm in the presence of god Indra. (ref: Dieter Schlingloff). Received from the India Office. 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. |
| Historical context | The cave paintings of Ajanta are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They depict stories from the lives of the Buddha (the jatakas) and date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480. The cave complex was discovered in 1819 and since then attempts have been made to document the paintings inside them. In 1844 Major Robert Gill was commissioned to make copies. Unfortunately most of the paintings he completed were destroyed in a fire in 1866. To make up for this loss, from 1872, John Griffiths from the Bombay school of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter for the following 13 years at the caves producing approximately 300 paintings, of which this is an example. |
| Production | Painted by John Griffiths and students from the Bombay School of Art |
| Subject depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | This is a copy of a painting in cave 16 at Ajanta. These paintings date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480 and are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They depict stories from the lives of the Buddha (the Jatakas). The scenes here are from the Mahisa Jataka. It tells the story of a man with special powers who sees that a buffalo (Mahisa) wants to bathe in the lake. The buffalo is being tormented by a monkey that has climbed up on his back. The man throws the monkey to the ground and teaches the buffalo a protective charm in the presence of the god Indra, seen here wearing an ornate crown. The Ajanta cave complex was discovered in 1819 and since then attempts have been made to document the paintings inside them. In 1844 Major Robert Gill was commissioned to make copies. Unfortunately most of the paintings he completed were destroyed in a fire in 1866. To replace them, from 1872 to 1885 John Griffiths from the Bombay School of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter at the caves producing approximately 300 paintings. This is one of them. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.81-1887 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | July 13, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
