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Bengal River Fish, ca. 1804
India; Calcutta School
Pencil, gouache, watercolor, and gilding on paper; 14 1/4 x 20 1/2 in. (36.1 x 52 cm)
Louis E. and Theresa S. Seley Purchase Fund for Islamic Art, 2004 (2004.176)

This painting shows two views of a Bengal river fish, executed in pencil and watercolor with traces of gilding on paper. The twin images of each side of the fish are placed by one another, the upper image in a dark gray tone and the lower one in a paler shade of the same color. The mottled, scaly surface of the fish's body is carefully rendered, as are its mouth and eyes. The painting is from the collection of Marquis Wellesley, governor-general of India from 1798 until 1805. Wellesley had large menageries and hired native artists to paint each of the birds and animals in them.


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    Bengal River Fish, ca. 1804
    India; Calcutta School
    Pencil, gouache, watercolor, and gilding on paper; 14 1/4 x 20 1/2 in. (36.1 x 52 cm)
    Louis E. and Theresa S. Seley Purchase Fund for Islamic Art, 2004 (2004.176)