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Depictions of a Demoiselle crane and a White-necked stork, of Northern India

Unknown

1820

paint

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Patna School of Painting Romanticism Early 19th Century Animal

Dominant colour

Depictions of a Demoiselle crane and a White-necked stork, of Northern India is a 1820 paint by Unknown, a Patna School of Painting work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1820 · Patna School of Painting
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This is a simple, flat drawing of a big bird with a long neck and beak. Its body is mostly black, with white feathers on its belly and a splash of orange near its eye. The bird’s legs are long, and it stands on a thin green line that looks like grass or water. The word *dhigal* is written next to it in a script that might be Hindi. This suggests the bird is from Northern India, where such drawings were made around 1820. Look up Victoria and Albert Museum to see more drawings like this.

The story of this work

Overview

Two watercolor illustrations from 1820 depict a Demoiselle crane and a White-necked stork, both native to Northern India. The works were presented in 1929 by Robert Scott Greenshields, who served in the Indian Civil Service in Bengal and Assam from 1879 to 1910.

Read the full account in the museum source.