Lady holding a lotus
Painting
1900-1905 (made)
1900-1905 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In this scene the artist depicts an incident taken from the first story of Sir Richard Burton's free version of the 'Baitala Pachisi' ('Vikram and the Vampire or Tales of Hindu Devilry', London, 1870, pp.57ff). The story narrates how a young prince is captivated by a strange princess whom he chances upon bathing in a lotus pond in the forest. She communicates her love for him silently by flower language. Abanindranath made a number of illustrations to this text during the formative period of his style. In this scene, the traditional pool-side setting taken from Mughal and Pahari painting has been given a moody Pre-Raphaelite treatment reminiscent of Dante Gabriel Rosseti.
Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) was the pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art which flourished between 1905 and 1920. In his paintings, he sought to counter the influence of Western art as taught in art schools under the British Raj, by modernizing indigenous Moghul and Rajput traditions. His work became so influential that it was eventually accepted and regarded as a national Indian style.
Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) was the pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art which flourished between 1905 and 1920. In his paintings, he sought to counter the influence of Western art as taught in art schools under the British Raj, by modernizing indigenous Moghul and Rajput traditions. His work became so influential that it was eventually accepted and regarded as a national Indian style.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Lady holding a lotus (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | painted in watercolour on paper with gold pigment |
| Brief description | Painting, lady holding a lotus, by Abanindranath Tagore, watercolour and gold on paper, Bengal, 1900-1905 |
| Physical description | Painting, watercolour on paper with gold pigment, in this scene a lady holds a lotus and smells the scent from it. Her lover kneels beside her having just plucked the lotus from the pool nearby. There is a large tree in the background. The artist has used gold pigment. Signature in the bottom right hand corner. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | A lady holds a lotus and smells the scent from it. Her lover kneels beside her having just plucked the lotus from the pool nearby. There is a large tree in the background. |
| Marks and inscriptions | (Signature on right hand corner in red paint.) |
| Credit line | Given by Lady Sonia Wilson |
| Object history | Gift. RF 51/3488. From the collection of Sir E. B. Havell. Given by Lady Sonia Wilson, daughter of E.B. Havell. |
| Historical context | Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) was the pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art. In his paintings, he sought to counter the influence of Western art as taught in art schools under the British Raj, by modernizing indigenous Moghul and Rajput traditions. His work became so influential that it was eventually accepted and regarded as a national Indian style. In his work, Abanindranath retrieved themes from the Indian epic past or scenes from romantic tales, such as Arabian Nights or Omar Khaiyam and reworked them in a highly romanticised style. The artist’s desire to emancipate Indian art from European influence was also fostered by Japanese artist Okakura Kakuzo, who visited him in 1902. Later, studying Japanese art under Japanese artists, Taikoan and Hilsida, Abanindranath assimilated Far Eastern techniques such as the wash into his work. His Omar Khaiyam series (1906-08) reflects such influences. Abanindranath’s use of colour was also highly personalized and found its appropriate language in two major techniques: wash and tempera. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | In this scene the artist depicts an incident taken from the first story of Sir Richard Burton's free version of the 'Baitala Pachisi' ('Vikram and the Vampire or Tales of Hindu Devilry', London, 1870, pp.57ff). The story narrates how a young prince is captivated by a strange princess whom he chances upon bathing in a lotus pond in the forest. She communicates her love for him silently by flower language. Abanindranath made a number of illustrations to this text during the formative period of his style. In this scene, the traditional pool-side setting taken from Mughal and Pahari painting has been given a moody Pre-Raphaelite treatment reminiscent of Dante Gabriel Rosseti. Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) was the pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art which flourished between 1905 and 1920. In his paintings, he sought to counter the influence of Western art as taught in art schools under the British Raj, by modernizing indigenous Moghul and Rajput traditions. His work became so influential that it was eventually accepted and regarded as a national Indian style. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.306-1951 |
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| Record created | July 15, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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