1856
oil
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Copy of painting inside the caves of Ajanta (cave 1) is a 1856 oil by Robert Gill, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
You see a Bodhisattva in a mountain scene. He holds a white lily. His calm face and raised hand suggest quiet strength. Birds and monkeys fill the space. Happy couples and musicians float nearby in a dreamy sky. This painting copies a 2,000-year-old cave mural in India. The original shows the Bodhisattva’s gentle power amid lively nature. It tells a story from the Buddha’s past lives, full of joy and peace. Look next at Robert Gill’s other copies at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
This copy depicts a Bodhisattva holding a white lily in a mountainous landscape, surrounded by birds, monkeys, couples, and celestial musicians, conveying a joyful scene. A female figure, possibly his consort, stands to his left, and a man holding a jewelled sceptre is to his right. The original Ajanta cave paintings, from which this copy derives, are the oldest surviving examples of Indian painting and date from the 1st century BC to AD 480. Created by Major Robert Gill in the 19th century, this work is one of only four surviving copies from his documentation efforts.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Major Robert Gill (1804–1879) was an army officer, antiquarian, painter and photographer in British India.
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