Not on display

A maize plant

Drawing
ca. 1825 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. Lieutenant-Colonel Gilbert, later Lieutenant-General Sir Walter Raleigh Gilbert, first Baronet, GCB, commissioned this one. He went to India with the 15th Native Infantry in 1801. At the time this painting was made, he was Commandant of the Ramgarh Battalion based at Hazaribagh (Bihar) from 1822 to 1828. Gilbert belonged to a circle that was intensely interested in painting. Sir Charles D'Oyly, the skilled amateur artist and later patron of Indian artists in Patna, was married to his sister-in-law.
Gilbert and his wife owned a number of standard sets of Company paintings. They also made a collection documenting their life in Hazaribagh and Sambhalpur, of which this is an example. The artist was perhaps of Murshidabad ancestry. Gilbert may have paid him a private retainer fee. However, it is more likely that he was a survey draughtsman in Company employment. He probably accompanied Gilbert officially on his various assignments and executed private commissions from time to time.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleA maize plant (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Watercolour on paper
Brief description
Drawing; watercolour, a maize plant, one of seven drawings made for Lieutenant-Colonel Gilbert, Calcutta, ca. 1825
Physical description
A watercolour of a maize plant with details of leaf, flower and cob.
Dimensions
  • Height: 50cm
  • Width: 67.5cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
'Indian Corn. 8 feet 10 inches from the root ... [illegible]' (English; front; pencil)
Production
By a Calcutta artist, perhaps originally from Murshidabad
Subject depicted
Summary
The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. Lieutenant-Colonel Gilbert, later Lieutenant-General Sir Walter Raleigh Gilbert, first Baronet, GCB, commissioned this one. He went to India with the 15th Native Infantry in 1801. At the time this painting was made, he was Commandant of the Ramgarh Battalion based at Hazaribagh (Bihar) from 1822 to 1828. Gilbert belonged to a circle that was intensely interested in painting. Sir Charles D'Oyly, the skilled amateur artist and later patron of Indian artists in Patna, was married to his sister-in-law.
Gilbert and his wife owned a number of standard sets of Company paintings. They also made a collection documenting their life in Hazaribagh and Sambhalpur, of which this is an example. The artist was perhaps of Murshidabad ancestry. Gilbert may have paid him a private retainer fee. However, it is more likely that he was a survey draughtsman in Company employment. He probably accompanied Gilbert officially on his various assignments and executed private commissions from time to time.
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, 100 p ISBN 0944142303
Collection
Accession number
IS.16-1963

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Record createdJanuary 28, 2000
Record URL
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