Lot 91
FOUR PAINTINGS OF RELIGIOUS FIGURES, CASTE AND TRADESMEN
SOUTH INDIA, TANJORE, CIRCA 1800-10
Auction: 10 December 2025 from 14:00 GMT
Description
gouache and gold on paper, black margins and white outer borders, each with identifying labels below as follows: 1. A Bramin and his Wife; 6. A Cannoreze Priest; 13. A Rope-maker; 17. A Washerman and his Wife, Chitty, framed
Dimensions
each 49cm x 29cm
Provenance
Private Somerset collection.
Footnote
These paintings are charming reflections of life in South India produced by local artists commissioned by the British. They all follow the same format consisting of a green luscious and exotic forest on the horizon with architectural features above a yellow rounded ground below, and the sky with unusually large clouds, acting as the backdrop for two figures, usually a male and female.
For a discussion on Tanjore paintings, and comparable examples, see M. Archer, Company Drawings in the British Library, London, 1972, pp. 21-36 and plate 4.