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Depictions of a Green pigeon (?) and a Common house-swift 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 Green pigeon (?) and a Common house-swift 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 simple drawing of a bird in mid-flight against a light background. The bird is dark with a long, pointed tail, and its wings are slightly spread. Below it, a faint green line suggests a distant hill with tiny trees. The page looks old and worn, with some writing in another language near the top. The bird’s name might be written there too, but it’s hard to read. If you like this kind of detailed bird art, look up Victoria and Albert Museum for more examples.

The story of this work

Overview

Two watercolor illustrations from 1820 depict a green pigeon and a common house-swift found in 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.