A warrior and his wife thumbnail 1
Not on display

A warrior and his wife

Painting
ca. 1790 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Tanjore (made)

The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. This one comes from a set of 16 depicting castes and occupations.

Object details

Categories
Indian Company Paintings
Paintings
India Museum
Object type
Painting
TitleA warrior and his wife (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Opaque watercolour on paper
Paper
Opaque Watercolour
Painted
Brief description
Painting; Gouache, A warrior and his wife, Tanjore, ca. 1790
Physical description
A warrior and his wife; the man in white, the woman in an orange and gold tie-dye sari. One of a series of sixteen paintings of castes and occupations.
Dimensions
  • Height: 28cm
  • Width: 21.5cm
Style
Company
Marks and inscriptions
A guzuly warrior. (Inscription; decoration; English; Roman)
Gallery label
(27/9/2013)
A MARATHA AND HIS WIFE
Opaque watercolour and gold paint on paper
Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
c. 1830

0926:1 (IS)
This is one of a set of sixteen illustrations of castes and occupations of South India. These sets were made by local artists mostly for western buyers. As many of these buyers were employees of the British East India Company, this type of work became generally known as ‘Company painting.’
The Marathas belong to a warrior community from central India whose rule extended to Thanjavur from 1675 to 1855. Here, both the Maratha and his wife wear lavish jewels and the tie-dyed fabrics of the region.
Object history
Transferred from the India Museum in 1879. 1880 Register Entry: [ Room 8. On The Wall.] '0923 to 0926. FOUR FRAMES, glazed, each containing four coloured illustrations of costumes &c. Presented by P. F. Campbell-Johnston, Esq. 4,510 to 4,513'
Subject depicted
Occupations, Warrior
Summary
The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. This one comes from a set of 16 depicting castes and occupations.
Bibliographic reference
Archer, Mildred. Company Paintings Indian Paintings of the British period Victoria and Albert Museum Indian Series London: Victoria and Albert Museum, Maplin Publishing, 1992, 51 p. ISBN 0944142303
Other number
4,513 - India Museum Slip Book
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
0926:1/(IS)

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O15846/a-warrior-and-his-wife-painting-unknown/
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