Page with four informal sketches: the Union Jack, a personification of Britannia[?], peacock in a tree, and a swooping robin
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Although the female head is likely Brittania, she might instead be Marianne, personification of France. The handshake depicted below this figure could refer to the romanticized friendship between France and England that followed the fall of Napoleon. The peacock is a traditional motif in Indian painting, while the red-breasted robin might be an idealization of a bird foreign to the Indian artist.
Artwork Details
- Title: Page with four informal sketches: the Union Jack, a personification of Britannia[?], peacock in a tree, and a swooping robin
- Date: mid–19th century
- Geography: Made in India
- Medium: Ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: H. 6 in. (15.2 cm)
W. 8 in. (20.3 cm) - Classification: Codices
- Credit Line: Collection of James Ivory
- Curatorial Department: Islamic Art