One of fifty Burmese drawings.
Painting
ca.1887 (made)
ca.1887 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
‘Company paintings’ were produced by Indian artists for Europeans living and working in the Indian subcontinent, especially British employees of the East India Company. They represent a fusion of traditional Indian artistic styles with conventions and technical features borrowed from western art. Some Company paintings were specially commissioned, while others were virtually mass-produced and could be purchased in bazaars.
Schools of Company Painting never really developed in the other areas of South and South-East Asia that came under British influence, but occasionally a British officer might commission a local artist to make drawings especially for him. This is an example of a Company-style painting from Burma (Myanmar), and it comes from an album of 50 coloured drawings made around 1887 by a local Burmese artist. The leather-bound volume has a four-page index tipped in, written in English, and is divided into three sections dealing respectively with elephants, horses, and people. This picture depicts 'The King's elephant' with a mahout (driver) carry his ankus (goad).
Schools of Company Painting never really developed in the other areas of South and South-East Asia that came under British influence, but occasionally a British officer might commission a local artist to make drawings especially for him. This is an example of a Company-style painting from Burma (Myanmar), and it comes from an album of 50 coloured drawings made around 1887 by a local Burmese artist. The leather-bound volume has a four-page index tipped in, written in English, and is divided into three sections dealing respectively with elephants, horses, and people. This picture depicts 'The King's elephant' with a mahout (driver) carry his ankus (goad).
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | One of fifty Burmese drawings. (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Gouache on paper |
| Brief description | Painting; gouache, Burma ca.1887 |
| Physical description | The King's elephant with a mahout (driver) mounted on its neck and a howdah (presumably) on its back. One of 50 drawings with manuscript notes in a book in European form - probably commissioned by a European. Drawings of royal elephants and horses, and types of people. lst page is missing and first part of text missing on how to control elephants. The book retains last portion only. Each elephant is marked with letters from the Burmese alphabet. These are intended to be used with the accompanying text which instructs where the elephant should be hit or prodded to perform certain movements. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | ‘Company paintings’ were produced by Indian artists for Europeans living and working in the Indian subcontinent, especially British employees of the East India Company. They represent a fusion of traditional Indian artistic styles with conventions and technical features borrowed from western art. Some Company paintings were specially commissioned, while others were virtually mass-produced and could be purchased in bazaars. Schools of Company Painting never really developed in the other areas of South and South-East Asia that came under British influence, but occasionally a British officer might commission a local artist to make drawings especially for him. This is an example of a Company-style painting from Burma (Myanmar), and it comes from an album of 50 coloured drawings made around 1887 by a local Burmese artist. The leather-bound volume has a four-page index tipped in, written in English, and is divided into three sections dealing respectively with elephants, horses, and people. This picture depicts 'The King's elephant' with a mahout (driver) carry his ankus (goad). |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | D.538-1901 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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