Circle of Bhawani Das
India
Pen and ink with watercolor and gouache on paper
23 1/2 x 32 3/4 in. (59.7 x 83.2 cm)
Purchase, Anonymous Gift, Cynthia Hazen Polsky Gift, Virginia G. LeCount Bequest, in memory of the LeCount Family, 2007 Benefit Fund, Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and Gift of Dr. Mortimer D. Sackler, Theresa Sackler and Family, 2008 (2008.312)
This striking painting depicts the Great Indian Fruit Bat (Pteropus giganteus) frontally displayed with one wing outstretched. The body is shown in considerable detail, with the bat's fur, eyes, sexual organs, curling claws, and veins in its wings articulated in tones of brown and gray. The watercolor belongs to the larger tradition of Company painting, or works made by Indian artists for English patrons (usually employees of the East India Company, hence the name of the school). Its anonymous artist is believed to have been in the circle of painters who worked for Sir and Lady Elijah Impey, who lived in India while Sir Elijah was the Chief Justice of Bengal (1774–82). They collected specimens of Indian flora and fauna at their estate in Calcutta and commissioned local artists to portray them. This painting was probably one of the more than 300 works made for the couple and taken home with them to England. Although originally intended as a scientific record, the Impey natural studies are considered among the strongest achievements of the Company school.
Related
Index Terms
Material and Technique
- Drawing, Gouache
- Drawing, Ink
- Painting, Ink on Paper
- Painting, Ink on Paper, South and Southeast Asia
- Painting, Watercolor
- Painting, Watercolor, South and Southeast Asia
