Explore the recent acquisition of a rich and unusual collection of Indian paintings and manuscript pages.
In contrast to other works in this exhibition, this painting belongs to the 19th-century Company period, when artists trained in the Mughal tradition now sought patronage with the new British rulers, modifying their art to accord with European tastes. In this sensitive portrait, a Bengal dancing girl stands on a durree spread on the balustraded terrace of a British mansion in Calcutta. She raises her hennaed hand as if in a dance gesture. Nautches or dance performances in the Mughal kathak style had become a popular spectacle among British officials in India by the late 18th century. An English inscription ascribes this work to the well-known artist Shaikh Muhammad Amir of Kurraya (a suburb of Calcutta).
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.
© 2013 University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum