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Depictions of a India pitta and Brown-backed Indian robin 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 India pitta and Brown-backed Indian robin 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 sketch shows a single bird with a short tail, perched on a patch of ground. Its feathers are mostly brown and gray, with a faint red patch under its beak. The background is plain, and the paper looks old and slightly torn. The bird’s name is written in the corner—*India pitta*—but it’s drawn in a simple, loose style. The colors are muted, and the lines are quick, like a quick note of what the artist saw. Next, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more sketches like this.

The story of this work

Overview

Two watercolor depictions from 1820 show an Indian pitta and a Brown-backed Indian robin, both native to Northern India. The works were acquired in 1929 through a donation by Robert Scott Greenshields, who served in the Indian Civil Service across Bengal and Assam from 1879 to 1910.

Read the full account in the museum source.