Not on display

Copy of painting inside the caves of Ajanta (cave 6)

Oil Painting
1872-1885 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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.

This painting can be found in cave six at Ajanta. The white patches are placed over fragile areas that require conservation work.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Copy of painting inside the caves of Ajanta (cave 6) (series title)
  • Copy of painting in the caves of Ajanta (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Oil on canvas
Brief description
Copy of Fresco C in Cave 6 of the caves of Ajanta by John Griffiths and students from the Bombay School of Art, oil on canvas, 1872-1885, India.
Physical description
Strip of floral decoration consisting of long curling stalks with several different types of flowers.
Dimensions
  • Height: 2260mm
  • Width: 370mm
  • With frame height: 2280mm
  • With frame width: 400mm
  • With frame depth: 40mm
Marks and inscriptions
Ajanta cave c 13" x 7.5" (On reverse of canvas)
Object history
Commissioned by the Government of India between 1872-1885 and deposited in the India Museum, London.

Historical significance: This painting can be found in cave six at Ajanta.,
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 one.
Production
Painted by John Griffiths and students from the Bombay School of Art
Subject depicted
Place depicted
Summary
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.

This painting can be found in cave six at Ajanta. The white patches are placed over fragile areas that require conservation work.
Bibliographic references
  • Griffiths, J, The paintings in the Buddhist cave temples of Ajanta, India, 1896
  • Zin, M, Guide to the Ajanta Paintings, Vol.2, New Delhi, 2003.
  • Burgess, J, Notes on the Bauddha Rock-Temples of Ajanta, Bombay, 1879
Collection
Accession number
IS.96-1885

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Record createdAugust 18, 2005
Record URL
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