Not on display

Painting

first half 18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, a group of women and an infant boy are shown standing under a tree on a knoll in a grassy landscape with a blue sky streaked with gold behind the figures. The two central women have fairer skins than the two attendant females behind them on either side. The central lady on the right holds out a small blue and white porcelain cup. She is richly dressed in a gauzy white, long-sleeved peshwaz with gold edging to the gored panels of the skirt, which reveal the gold paijama dotted with red flowers that matches her short jacket with elbow-length sleeves, all edged in red. She also has a gold patka with scrolling red flowers and crimson slippers. A transparent odhini with a gold edging and spots covers head and shoulders. Gems and pearls are worn as bracelets, necklaces, earrings, anklets and on her forehead.
The central lady on the left rests her hand on the boy's shoulder. She is less grandly dressed in an opaque green peshwaz with floral polka dots over golden paijama decorated with red flowers and a similar golden patka to that worn by the other lady. She has a large white shawl with decorated edging and ends in purple with gold patterning.. The two attendants, who are holding white flowers and a blue and white wine bottle on a green and yellow saucer respectively, are dressed in transparent peshwaz over striped purple and white and pink paijama on the left and purple paijama with a green leaf motif on the right. The woman on the left has a pink shawl with a green edging over her head and body, while the woman on the right has an orange one with a green and white edging.
The boy, who is perhaps seen with his nurse, possibly being presented to his mother, wears the customary Indian cap worn by small boys in the Moghul period. It is gold decorated with red flowers, which probably denotes his noble or princely birth. He is wearing a white and gold striped robe over red and gold striped paijama and yellow slippers with purple and gold upper flaps. He is wearing pearls at his neck and wrists and a thread strung with amulets and a pair of tiger's claws, traditionally worn by young boys to ward off evil.
The painting is framed with a blue inner border decorated in a scroll of palmettes outlined in gold lines with black and white inscribed lines. An outer blue line is inscribed on the main ivory-coloured border which is decorated with a row of red poppies and pink lilies outlined and detailed in gold. The margins of the page have been ornamented with strips of buff-coloured paper with an inner gold line outlined in black and heightened with an additional white line. These margins have been largely overpainted in a crude fashion with red paint to match the opposite page, IS.48:35/B-1956. A crimson strip of paper has been added over the original margin to act as a gutter for the album binding.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Brief description
Painting, Small Clive Album p. 71, ladies with a child, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, possibly Avadh, first half 18th century
Physical description
Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, a group of women and an infant boy are shown standing under a tree on a knoll in a grassy landscape with a blue sky streaked with gold behind the figures. The two central women have fairer skins than the two attendant females behind them on either side. The central lady on the right holds out a small blue and white porcelain cup. She is richly dressed in a gauzy white, long-sleeved peshwaz with gold edging to the gored panels of the skirt, which reveal the gold paijama dotted with red flowers that matches her short jacket with elbow-length sleeves, all edged in red. She also has a gold patka with scrolling red flowers and crimson slippers. A transparent odhini with a gold edging and spots covers head and shoulders. Gems and pearls are worn as bracelets, necklaces, earrings, anklets and on her forehead.
The central lady on the left rests her hand on the boy's shoulder. She is less grandly dressed in an opaque green peshwaz with floral polka dots over golden paijama decorated with red flowers and a similar golden patka to that worn by the other lady. She has a large white shawl with decorated edging and ends in purple with gold patterning.. The two attendants, who are holding white flowers and a blue and white wine bottle on a green and yellow saucer respectively, are dressed in transparent peshwaz over striped purple and white and pink paijama on the left and purple paijama with a green leaf motif on the right. The woman on the left has a pink shawl with a green edging over her head and body, while the woman on the right has an orange one with a green and white edging.
The boy, who is perhaps seen with his nurse, possibly being presented to his mother, wears the customary Indian cap worn by small boys in the Moghul period. It is gold decorated with red flowers, which probably denotes his noble or princely birth. He is wearing a white and gold striped robe over red and gold striped paijama and yellow slippers with purple and gold upper flaps. He is wearing pearls at his neck and wrists and a thread strung with amulets and a pair of tiger's claws, traditionally worn by young boys to ward off evil.
The painting is framed with a blue inner border decorated in a scroll of palmettes outlined in gold lines with black and white inscribed lines. An outer blue line is inscribed on the main ivory-coloured border which is decorated with a row of red poppies and pink lilies outlined and detailed in gold. The margins of the page have been ornamented with strips of buff-coloured paper with an inner gold line outlined in black and heightened with an additional white line. These margins have been largely overpainted in a crude fashion with red paint to match the opposite page, IS.48:35/B-1956. A crimson strip of paper has been added over the original margin to act as a gutter for the album binding.
Dimensions
  • Central painting height: 20.2cm
  • Central painting width: 13.5cm
  • Page height: 35.5cm
  • Page width: 23.5cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
the numeral '36' is inscribed in pencil (top right hand corner of the page)
Credit line
Gift of Mr. John Goelet
Object history
This miniature painting is part of the Small Clive Album of Indian miniatures which is thought to have been given by Shuja ud-Daula, the Nawab of Avadh, to Lord Clive during his last visit to India in 1765-67. It contains 56 leaves on which are Mughal miniature paintings, drawing and flower studies on both sides. The binding is covered with an Indian brocade silk that may have been cut from lengths brought home by the 2nd Lord Clive, who served as Governor of Madras, 1799 to 1803. The album was sold from Powis Castle at Sotheby's sale, 16 to 18 January 1956, lot 332A.
Subjects depicted
Collection
Accession number
IS.48:36/A-1956

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Record createdDecember 11, 2003
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