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During the 18th and 19th centuries, under British rule, many artists were commissioned by the East India Company to paint animals, plants, architecture, and people they had encountered in the past. They wanted the people of England to be able to see what they had seen.
Paintings created during this period were considered the property of the East India Company, and tended to be known more by the names of the commissioners rather than the artists who painted them. However, this has been gradually changing. The exhibition "Forgotten Masters" at the Wallace Collection in London last year played a significant role in altering this narrative.
Historian William Dalrymple, curator of the "Forgotten Masters" exhibition at the Wallace Collection, expressed a desire to restore authorship and due recognition to the works of art he considered masterpieces.
The picture book displayed in the exhibition was compiled by William Dalrymple.
Despite having existed for over 200 years, the colors of many of the artworks remain incredibly vibrant, thanks to being painted on the finest paper imported from Europe at the time. The paintings combine European painting styles with the traditional art of the Mughal Empire.
Some works from the exhibition will be sold by Sotheby's in its first auction dedicated to the Company School art style at Indian Garden. All are from the collection of Carlton Rochell, an American art dealer.
Among the talented ancient Indian painters who have been honored at the exhibition, Shaykh Zayn al-Din, Ram Das, Bhawani Das, and Ghulam Ali Khan are the names featured in the auction at the Indian Garden.
Benedict Carter, head of sales at Sotheby's, believes that this genre of painting has finally regained its well-deserved recognition. "They are unlike any other paintings. They are not just studies for British or European clients, but are true works of Indian art in the truest sense."
The most famous collection includes the Company School paintings commissioned by Sir Elijah and Lady Impey, who created an animal shelter in their garden in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Several works from the Impey album are now in major collections such as the V&A in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Painting of a stork eating a snail, Shaykh Zayn al-Din, 1781
Painting of the Indian fruit bat, Bhawani Das, 1778-1782
According to Benedict Carter, one of the most impressive pieces at the auction was also from the album Impey, and that was the drawing.Fruit batThis painting by Hindu artist Bhawani Das was created between 1778 and 1782. The bat in the painting is depicted with bright, intelligent black eyes. This shows that the artist transformed his study of nature into a soulful portrait, and what appears in the painting is not just a bat, but an animal with personality, a rich inner world.
"There is something about the characteristics of this animal that transcends anatomical accuracy," Carter added. The drawing is estimated to be worth between £300,000 and £500,000.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Prior to the auction on October 27th, exhibitions of the works will be held successively at Sotheby's galleries in New York (September 17-20), Hong Kong (October 7-11), and London (October 22-16).
