Native Lady of Umritsur
Oil Painting
1880s (made)
1880s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This painting shown in the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London in 1886 was bought by the South Kensington Museum the same year. It was described on acquisition as the depiction of "A Native Lady of Umritsar". The artist, Horace Van Ruith (1839-1923) produced a documentary record of the jewellery and clothes of a lady from Amritsar, now in India, and part of the historic region of the Panjab which is divided between the modern nation states of India and Pakistan. The woman wears a full set of head, ear, nose, neck, arm, hand, ankle and foot jewellery, and her posture is arranged to allow her jewellery, clothes and footwear to be seen to its best advantage. Her skirt and tunic are richly decorated with 'zardozi' (gold wire/thread) embroidery.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Native Lady of Umritsur (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Oil on canvas |
| Brief description | 'A Native Lady of Umritsar', oil on canvas possibly by Horace van Ruith, Amritsar, 1880s |
| Physical description | The full-length portrait of a woman depicts her heavily bejewelled and facing towards the viewer. She lifts her blue gathered skirt with gold-embroidered border to show her silver anklets and toe rings, and at the same time shows the mirror ring on the thumb of her left hand and gold finger rings attached to her bracelets by gold chains.The painting is a documentary record of costume and jewellery of the region as she wears a full set of head, ear, nose, neck, arm, hand, ankle and foot jewellery and a costume richly decorated with 'zardozi' (gold wire/thread) embroidery. Her shoes are in front of her bare feet. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Presented by the Municipality of Amritsar for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, London, 1886 |
| Object history | Acquired by the South Kensington Museum from the Colonial and Indian Exhibition held in London. Placed in the Jewel Room 17 November, 1886 Presented by the Municipality of Amritsar for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, London, 1886. 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. |
| Production | Previously thought to have been by Horace van Ruith but this is now questioned. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This painting shown in the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London in 1886 was bought by the South Kensington Museum the same year. It was described on acquisition as the depiction of "A Native Lady of Umritsar". The artist, Horace Van Ruith (1839-1923) produced a documentary record of the jewellery and clothes of a lady from Amritsar, now in India, and part of the historic region of the Panjab which is divided between the modern nation states of India and Pakistan. The woman wears a full set of head, ear, nose, neck, arm, hand, ankle and foot jewellery, and her posture is arranged to allow her jewellery, clothes and footwear to be seen to its best advantage. Her skirt and tunic are richly decorated with 'zardozi' (gold wire/thread) embroidery. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.45-1886 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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