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THREE COMPANY SCHOOL PAINTINGS A PAINTING OF THE BATHER
Northeastern India, 19th century Lucknow or Calcutta, 18th century
Opaque watercolor on paper; Opaque watercolor and gold on paper.
one inscribed Simple China Rose, July 1800. Image: 9 3/8 x 6 1/8 in. (23.8 x 15.5 cm);
20 5/8 x 14 in. (52.3 x 35.5 cm), the largest; Folio: 10 3/4 x 7 5/8 in. (27.3 x 19.3 cm)
19 x 14 1/4 in. (48.2 x 36.1 cm), the smallest $10,000 - 15,000
$5,000 - 7,000
We peek at a beautiful young woman after bathing, her hand reaching
Starting in the late 18th century, the East India Company for the comb to straighten her long hair. Despite her bare breasts,
commissioned Mughal-trained artists to produce watercolors to it is her deep blue Kashmiri shawl that is most alluring; draped in
the British taste, establishing what is now called Company School sumptuous folds across her thighs and hung over her left arm, the
painting. Sir Elijah and Lady Impey, the Marquess Wellesley, and slight gap between its floral trim entices the imagination.
Lady Clive were important early patrons, commissioning some of
the most spectacular examples of Indian fauna and flora recorded. The painting is a later version of one published in Patnaik, A Second
Paradise, New York, 1985, no. 16. This is a subject rooted in Mughal,
Compare with examples sold at Christie’s, South Kensington, Rajput and Pahari miniatures, but now appearing in very different
23 April 2012, lots 343, 344 & 345, and a further ten botanical surroundings, emblematic of a culture that favors precision and order.
studies from a similar series sold at Christie’s, South Kensington, She is perfectly arranged between two Corinthian columns that
11 April 2013, lots 126 & 127. create the illusion of depth. Foreground and background emphasize
symmetry, and her accouterments are neatly balanced upon the
Provenance Georgian Anglo-Indian stand. Meanwhile, above her, by the crown
Private Collection, USA molding, a series of paintings juxtapose further Indian beauties with
Acquired from Jean-Claude Ciancimino, London, 1987 cavalry charges and scenes of British industry and masculinity.
Provenance
Simon Ray, Ltd, London, 2010
Private Collection, Texas
156 | BONHAMS
