Copy of painting in the caves of Ajanta by John Griffiths and students of the Bombay School of Art.

This painting represents a ceiling panel inside cave 2 at Ajanta. There is a lotus rosette in the centre which is largely damaged. Concentric bands radiate out from the centre and have different designs within them. Immediately following the rosette are three circles of plain colour and after this is a circle of simple flowers which is not fully complete. Following this is another incomplete band of decoration with gem like ornaments. Beyond this is wider band of scroll-like forms, again only half complete. The outer most band is complete and full of long curling stalks with flowers of different kinds and pairs of geese dotted in amongst the foliage. In the four corners are genie couples floating in clouds with detailed scroll-like forms filling any empty spaces.

The incomplete bands are where the copy artist painted only a small section to show what the design consisted of but did not finish the painting because of the length of time taken to fill in such details.

Commissioned by the Government of India between 1872-1885 and deposited in the India Museum, London.

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.

Painted by John Griffiths and students from the Bombay School of Art

This is a copy of a painting on the ceiling of cave 2 at Ajanta. The incomplete bands of pattern show where the copy artist painted only a small but representative section of the design. The painting is unfinished because of the length of time required to fill in such details.

The cave paintings of Ajanta are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480 and depict stories from the lives of the Buddha (the Jatakas).

The cave complex was discovered in 1819 and attempts were 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 to 1885 John Griffiths from the Bombay School of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter at the caves. This is one of the approximately 300 paintings they produced.

IS.138-1885