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Depictions of a Eastern peregrine falcon and Cherrug falcon 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 Eastern peregrine falcon and Cherrug falcon 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 page shows a single bird—likely a falcon—perched on a thin branch. Its feathers are dark with lighter markings on its chest and head, and its sharp eyes and hooked beak stand out. The bird’s legs are wrapped in a loop of string, and the paper around it is worn and torn, with some writing faded in the corners. The label near the bird reads *"carag,"* which might be a name or description in another language. The page looks old, with brown edges and smudges, like it’s part of a larger book. If you like birds in art, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum for more historical animal drawings.

The story of this work

Overview

Two watercolor illustrations from 1820 depict an Eastern peregrine falcon and a Cherrug falcon native to Northern India. The works were acquired in 1929 through a donation by Robert Scott Greenshields, a member of the Indian Civil Service who served in Bengal and Assam between 1879 and 1910.

Read the full account in the museum source.