Rare Paintings
 16 Jul 2011 Rare Paintings
The Fakhr al-Masajid (left), The baoli at the shrine of Nizamuddin (right) - 1843

[From 'Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi’, an album consisting of 89 folios containing approximately 130 paintings of views of the Mughal and pre-Mughal monuments of Delhi, as well as other contemporary material, wit... Read More
 10 Jul 2011 Rare Paintings
Firework display on a bright moonlit night outside the Agna Mahal, part of the Nawab's Palace beside the river at Murshidabad -1795

Watercolour of a firework display on a bright moonlit night outside the Agna Mahal in Murshidabad, by an anonymous artist working in the Murshidabad style, c. 1790-... Read More
 9 Jul 2011 Rare Paintings
Sri Narasimha, the half-human half-lion incarnation of Vishnu - 1750

This page comes from an 18th-century folding cloth book of religious and mythological oil-colour paintings, copied from originals in the Brahmanical Pagoda of Chokalingam at Madhura in Karnataka.

Source : British Library Read More
 4 Jul 2011 Rare Paintings
Plan of Hindu temple, Trichur - 11 June 1816

Pen-and-ink and water-colour drawing of the plan of the Hindu temple at Trichur, by John Gould, dated 11 June 1816. Inscribed on front in ink: 'Plan of the Hindoo Temple of Trichoore in Kerala & of its Environs. From the Section of the Survey of Trava... Read More
 2 Jul 2011 Rare Paintings
Rama Receives Surgriva and Jambavat, the Monkey and Bear Kings:
Leaf from a manuscript of the Ramayana, ca. 1605.
Mughal India
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

The great Indian epic the Ramayana recounts the tale of Prince Rama and his battle with Ravana, king of the demons, which was won wi... Read More
 25 Jun 2011 Rare Paintings
The Judge's House, Dinajpur - 1795

Watercolour of the Judge's House in Dinajpur district, West Bengal, by an anonymous artist working in the Murshidabad style, part of the Hyde Collection, c. 1790-1800. Inscribed on the back in pencil: 'Dinajepore House, residence of the Judge of that District.'... Read More
 22 Jun 2011 Rare Paintings
The Entrance of Tippoo's Palace, Bangalore - 1792

Water-colour painting of Tipu Sultan's palace at Bangalore by James Hunter (d. 1792) in 1792. Inscribed on the front is: 'Square at Bangalore' and on the reverse: 'The Entrance of Tippoo's Palace, Bangalore Feby. 92' This is probably the original... Read More
 21 Jun 2011 Rare Paintings
Church at Kasauli, Punjab - 25 November 1868

Watercolour by Leighton, Stanley (1837-1901) of the church at Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh, dated 25th November 1868. The image is inscribed on the mount and on the picture in pencil: 'Church at Kassowlie between Simla and the plains, looking towards t... Read More
 17 Jun 2011 Rare Paintings
View of Bombay Harbour - January 1870

Water-colour painting of Mumbai Harbour by Nicholas Chevalier (1828-1902) in January 1870. Inscribed on the back in pencil is: 'Bombay.'

Originally, Mumbai (Bombay) was composed of seven islands separated by a marshy swamp. Its deep natural harbour led the... Read More
 16 Jun 2011 Rare Paintings
Catherine of Braganza, c.1662
By Samuel Cooper (1608?-1672)
Watercolour and bodycolour on vellum laid on card
Oval, 12.3 x 9.8 cm

The artist's widow; from whom bought by Charles II or James II; Royal Collection by 1706 at latest

The miniature is unfinished and is best described as a sketch. On ... Read More
 15 Jun 2011 Rare Paintings
THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT EXHIBITION at the Queen’s Gallery is a smashing hit. The entire display is amazing. The center of the exhibit is a throne which Queen Victoria called THE MAGNIFICENT CHAIR.

Many of you will be going to the QUEEN’S GALLERY to see this exhibition. Please allow time to di... Read More
 15 Jun 2011 Rare Paintings
The Great Exhibition: India no. I
By Joseph Nash (1809-1878)
1851
Watercolour and bodycolour over pencil

Commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Many countries had dedicated areas at the Great Exhibition. This watercolour by Joseph Nash shows an exotic tented space in the India section... Read More
 12 Jun 2011 Rare Paintings
Autograph of His Majesty Bahadur Shah of Delhi - 29th April 1844

[From 'Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi’, an album consisting of 89 folios containing approximately 130 paintings of views of the Mughal and pre-Mughal monuments of Delhi, as well as other contemporary material, with an accompanying... Read More
 6 Jun 2011 Rare Paintings
Interior of a Temple at Brindaban - 1815

Watercolour of the interior of a temple at Brindaban from 'Views by Seeta Ram from Tughlikabad to Secundra Vol. VIII' produced for Lord Moira, afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1814-15. Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of ... Read More
 6 Jun 2011 Rare Paintings
The Krishna Mandapa Cave, Mahabalipuram - 1825

Watercolour of the Krishna Mandapa cave at Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, by John Gantz, c. 1825. Inscribed: 'S E View of Krishna's Choutry Mahabalipoorum. J. Gantz'.

John Gantz (1772-1853) and his son Justinian ran a lithographic press, but are reme... Read More
 30 May 2011 Rare Paintings
The Glorification of Akbar: Leaf from the Shah Jahan Album, Mughal, period of Jahangir (1605–27)
Attributed to Govardhan
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

In the early seventeenth century, as a result of European contacts, the state portrait made its appearance at the Mughal court. The s... Read More
 30 May 2011 Rare Paintings
Mausoleum of Akbar, Sikandra - 1820

Watercolour by Latif (fl..1820s) of a corner view of the Mausoleum of Akbar at Sikandra in Uttar Pradesh, dated 1820-22. The image is inscribed on the front in English: 'Tomb of the Emperor Akbar at Secundra'; and in Persian characters: 'Sikandrah: raudah i A... Read More
 30 May 2011 Rare Paintings
Maharana Sarup Singh Views a Prize Stallion, 1845
Tara (Indian, active 1836–68)
India (Rajasthan, Mewar)
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

This splendid painting by Tara, the premier painter in the atelier of Maharana Sarup Singh (r. 1842–61), shows the ruler viewing one of his royal sta... Read More
 28 May 2011 Rare Paintings
Palace at Boondee - 1847

This is plate 16 from James Fergusson's 'Ancient Architecture in Hindoostan'. Built on a steep hillside of the Vindhya range, the town of Bundi was the capital of a Rajput state until it succumbed to the Mughals in 1658. In Fergusson's sketch, the street of the principa... Read More
 27 May 2011 Rare Paintings
Gateway in the Hazuribagh, Lahore (Punjab) - January 1849

Water-colour painting of the gateway in the Hazuri Bagh at Lahore in the Punjab (modern Pakistan) by Henry Ambrose Oldfield (1822-1871) in January 1849. Inscribed on the front in water-colour is: 'Gateway in the Huzooree Bagh. H.A. Oldfie... Read More
 26 May 2011 Rare Paintings
Interior courtyard of Monastery, Patan (Nepal) - 1855

Watercolour of the interior courtyard of monastery at Lalitpur (Patan) in Nepal, by Henry Ambrose Oldfield (1822-1871), c.1855. The image is inscribed on the front in ink:' H.A. Oldfield. Nepal'; and on the back: 'Interior of Nau-Vihar, in Pa... Read More