Painting, wrestler and tiger, opaque watercolour on paper, Kalighat, Kolkata, ca. 1830

Painting, in opaque watercolour on paper, a wrestler, supposed to be Shyamakanta Banerjee (1858-1925), is wearing a multiple string necklace, large earrings and other ornaments on his arms, and wrestling with a tiger to demonstrate his supreme power. The wrestler is also wearing loin cloth and a pair of up-turned shoes. Once again the patua has depicted the animal with almost leopard's spots and tiger's ring marked tail.

A wrestler, supposed to be Shyamakanta Banerjee (1858-1925), is wearing a multiple string necklace, large earrings and other ornaments on his arms, and wrestling with a tiger to demonstrate his supreme power. The wrestler is also wearing loin cloth and a pair of up-turned shoes.

Acquired from a Roman Catholic Missionary College, England in 1950

Amongst entertainments available to the public at large in Calcutta during late nineteenth century, wrestling was popular. The proof of supreme strength of a wrestler was considered to be the ability to subdue a tiger. Shyamakanta Banerjee (1858-1925) was celebrated for his prowess at wrestling with untamed tigers during 1890s and even gave a command performance at Government House, Calcutta.

Historical significance: The temple of Kali had been built in the seventeenth century at a 'Pithasthan', the location where a part of Sati's body supposed to have fallen, on the east bank of the 'Adi Ganga', an original course of the Hugli River or the Ganges and rapidly became a place of pilgrimage. Subsequently the temple was rebuilt and an enlarged, the present, 'at-chala' structure was completed around 1809. It became customary for pilgrims to visit the Kalighat temple throughout the year. Its location, south of Calcutta, encouraged a small settlement to grow up. Eventually a brisk trade developed in pilgrim's souvenirs such as wooden dolls and terra cotta figures. With the arrival of 'patuas' (folk painters) in the early nineteenth century, the souvenirs also included watercolour pictures of mainly religious and mythological subjects. As the local style developed and the demand changed, so did the subject matter. Repertoire of the 'patua' included contemporary subjects such as the evil of modern age, social satire and study in Natural History. As a popular art form, the Kalight artists are recognised for their use of brilliant colours, simplified images and bold brush strokes.

IS.195-1950