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Untitled

Pannalal Chaganlal

1925

paint

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Patna School of Painting Early Modern

Dominant colour

Untitled is a 1925 paint by Pannalal Chaganlal, a Patna School of Painting work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Pannalal Chaganlal
When & what style?: 1925 · Patna School of Painting
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting is a circular artwork featuring a central figure surrounded by a black background. The central figure is a gold circle with a face in the middle, adorned with a crown and a mustache. The face is painted in a realistic style, with detailed features. The outer circle of the painting depicts a scene with people, trees, and animals. The scene is painted in a more stylized manner, with bold lines and bright colors. The overall effect is one of vibrant energy and movement. The painting is held at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

The work is an opaque watercolor painting on paper created in 1925 by Pannalal Chaganlal as a design for a circular shield associated with the reign of Maharana Sangram Singh of Udaipur (1710–1734). At its center is the head of Surya, encircled by four red and gold bosses against a black background, with an outer rim depicting a continuous landscape of hills and lakes featuring boar, lion, and deer hunting scenes. A narrow yellow border with green patterning frames the composition. Though intended to resemble an early 18th-century shield, the work is more likely an early 20th-century copy.

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Pannalal Chaganlal

This artist painted an Untitled oil on canvas in 1925. Little else is recorded about them, so we see their bold brushwork and muted palette standing apart from any named movement. The lone work here feels like a quiet…

See the richer artist page