Watercolour painting on paper of Ahalya, the wife of the seer Gautama, seated on a plinth with a back, on a terrace with a building behind her. A covered doorway is also shown. She wears lavish textiles and jewellery and holds a flower in her right hand. In front of the plinth is a vase with flowers in. The painting is surrounded by a black border.

Ahalya was released from imprisonment in a rock by Rāma.

Painted in Patna (?)
Company School
19thC(early)

Company School:
This term refers to a wide range of drawings and paintings created by South Asian artists that were commissioned by European patrons, or intended for a European market. The subject matter is frequently descriptive of the ‘Indian Scene’ and prepared in sets or albums. Works can be attributed to a variety of sub-styles dependent on the artists’ regional training. The works often incorporate stylistic traits from both the South Asian and European traditions prevalent and popular in the region in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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