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Depictions of a White wagtail and a Brahminy duck of Northern India

Unknown

1820

paint

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Patna School of Painting Romanticism Early 19th Century Animal Duck

Dominant colour

Depictions of a White wagtail and a Brahminy duck of Northern India is a 1820 paint by Unknown, a Patna School of Painting work, depicting Duck, 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 painting shows two birds side by side: a white wagtail with gray wings and a Brahminy duck with a rusty chest. The artist painted them in soft watercolors with fine detail work. The birds stand out against a plain background. Notice how the artist used light colors to highlight the wagtail’s white feathers and darker tones for the duck’s rich chest. If you like birds in art, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection.

The story of this work

Overview

A folio from Northern India dated 1820 shows two avian studies: a white wagtail on one side and a Brahminy duck on the opposite, each rendered on torn and stained paper that has been laid onto an album page. The work was later donated to a collection in 1929 by Robert Scott Greenshields, who served in the Indian Civil Service.

Read the full account in the museum source.