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A Family of Tartars

Unknown

1885

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Patna School of Painting Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century Portrait Company School Punjab

Dominant colour

A Family of Tartars is a 1885 unspecified by Unknown, a Patna School of Painting work, depicting Company School, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1885 · Patna School of Painting
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see three men on horseback, their faces sharp and tired, leading two camels across empty space. This was made for British officials in India who wanted to document the people they ruled. The plain background makes the figures feel like specimens, not stories. The artist was likely local, working in what’s called the Company School—a style that mixed Indian detail with British demands. Look up “Company School, 19th century” to see more works like this.

The story of this work

Overview

This painting depicts men of Turkic descent migrating into India from western Asia. No longer with the ambition to conquer, like the Turko-Mongol rulers Timur (d. 1405) and Babur (c. 1530), the first Mughal emperor, these migrants are seeking new lands in which to settle as immigrants. The highly detailed subjects are placed against a plain background, as if the figures were designed for objective study and categorization. Indian artists made works such as this for the British in India, who were interested in collecting accurate visual records of flora, fauna, and ethnic groups who inhabited…

Read the full account in the museum source.