Explore remarkable studies of Indian and exotic birds commissioned by Lady Impey around 1780.
The adjutant stork is a carrion-eating scavenger which nests on cliffs and trees. These large storks were a common sight of urban Calcutta in the early British period, perching statuesquely along the roof-lines of Government House and other neoclassical monuments of the new city. For the British, the protracted immobility of these birds recalled the static, thoughtful attitude of a military adjutant. Shaikh Zain ud-Din’s accomplished depiction of this specimen, approximately half life-size, captures well its gloomy gravity.
Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.
Objects from past exhibitions may have now returned to our stores or a lender. Click into an individual object record to confirm whether or not an object is currently on display. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis, so please contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular Eastern Art object.
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