Posted on: 29 January 2012

Painting of two Kashmiri dancing girls by William Carpenter, watercolour on paper, Kashmir, India, 1854

William Carpenter was trained at the Royal Academy Schools. He was in India from 1850 t0 1856, during which time he travelled extensively from Bombay (Mumbai) and across western India to Rajasthan, Delhi, Kashmir, Lahore and Afghanistan. His depiction of every day street scenes and groups of people is remarkably accurate and animated, his portraits vividly capturing the character of his sitters and the glowing effects of sunlight as cityscapes and architectural monuments. Brilliantly executed in a range of warm colours, his watercolours evoke a gentle romanticism.

After his return to England, The Illustrated London News published some of his watercolours. In 1881, he exhibited 275 of his paintings in a one-man show in the South Kensington Museum, London. This entire collection was subsequently acquired by the V&A.

Nautch girls were a popular subject for artists and this idealised painting typifies the kind of romantic sentiment that was inspired by the landscapes and people of Kashmir. Carpenter's romantic vision of Kashmir, and India in general, was heavily influenced by the popular poem Lalla Rookh by Thomas Moore. Based on travellers' tales and pictorial sources the poem focuses on Emperor Aurangzeb's daughter, Lalla Rookh, and provides a generalized view of the Orient using exotic imagery with a mixture of Indian, Iranian and Turkish elements.

Source: V&A, London


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This exhibit was at the NGMA Bangalore last year... Magnificent!

Very beautiful

One from amongst the few famous paintings of the nautch girls. The staid white phiran and the plunging necklines are from the artist’s imagination .The Victorian influence on the artist however cannot be overruled given their proclivity towards romanticizing the female bust. One such Kashmiri Syed courtesan married a Luxembourg mercenary (nicknamed Sombre for his solemn disposition) and upon his death rose on to become one of the biggest power brokers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and is today remembered as Begum Samroo. Courtesans wielded considerable influence even till the end of the Raj, more so in Princely India than in British. A son born of an alliance between a courtesan and a man of circumstance had a special designation in society and was not looked down upon provided the courtesan had been taken as a full time mistress by the gentleman. Till the time newspapers and telegraph made their appearance the houses of courtesans were the centres from where most news got dissipated as they had patrons coming from afar as well. Other than being adept at dancing, singing and cooking the courtesans epitomized genteel manners as well in their feminine charms ,graces and demeanor. The landed gentry used their ‘services’ to impart adab (civilized behavior) to their sons. Their blessings were sought after on happy occasions like the birth of an heir, visit of a son-in-law / brother-in-law in a gentleman’s family when they engaged in entertaining in both the zenana and mardana mehfils. They also contributed towards charity generously and patronized jewelers, weavers, tailors, musicians and carpet manufacturers. Their contribution towards nurturing Kathak (north India’s only contribution towards classical dance repertoire) , Maand and semi-classical genres like the ghazal, thumri, dadra, gul, sawan and Holi is invaluable.