Painting thumbnail 1
Not on display

Painting

18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Deccan (made)

The two seated ladies are being entertained by musicians while the maid standing behind them holds a fly-whisk. They are in the women's quarters of a palace, surrounded by a garden. At the front of the terrace there appears to be a small stone screen for water to flow down into the little pool. The patterned surface would have created pleasing effects as the water ran.

Object details

Categories
Paintings
Bonita Trust Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project
Object type
Painting
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Opaque Watercolour
Gold
Paper
Painted
Brief description
Painting, ladies listening to music, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Deccan, 18th century
Physical description
Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, ladies listening to music on a terrace at night.
Dimensions
  • Height: 348mm
  • Width: 283mm
  • Height: 345mm (With mount)
  • Width: 283mm (With mount)
Content description
Ladies listening to music on a terrace at night.
Style
Deccani
Gallery label
(2005)
LADIES LISTENING TO MUSIC AT NIGHT
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Deccan, 18th century
The two seated ladies are being entertained by musicians while the maid standing behind them holds a fly-whisk. They are in the women's quarters of a palace, surrounded by a garden. At the front of the terrace there appears to be a small stone screen for water to flow down into the little pool. The patterned surface would have created pleasing effects as the water ran.
Credit line
Purchased from A. Churchill, Esq.
Object history
Museum numbers CIRC.221-1922 to CIRC.230-1922 purchased for £30.

Purchased from A. Churchill, Esq., 10, Dover Street, W. 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.

R.P. 22/4637
Subjects depicted
Music
Figures
Women
Terrace
Summary
The two seated ladies are being entertained by musicians while the maid standing behind them holds a fly-whisk. They are in the women's quarters of a palace, surrounded by a garden. At the front of the terrace there appears to be a small stone screen for water to flow down into the little pool. The patterned surface would have created pleasing effects as the water ran.
Bibliographic references
  • Jackson, Anna and Ji Wei (eds.) with Rosemary Crill, Ainsley M. Cameron and Nicholas Barnard, compiled by the Palace Museum, translated by Yuan Hong, Qi Yue and Liu Ran. The Splendour of India' Royal Courts : Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Beijing: the Forbidden City Publishing House, 2013. Text in English and Chinese. ISBN 9787513403917. pps.86 and 87
  • Bor, J. and Bruguiere, P. Gloire des Princes: Louange des Dieux, Musee de la Musique, 2003. pp. 104-5, cat. no. 50
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
CIRC.227-1922

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Record createdApril 24, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O153337/painting-unknown/
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