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Detail of pietra dura work from the Diwan-i Am, Delhi Palace and Fort

Unknown

1845

paint

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Patna School of Painting Romanticism Early 19th Century Animal Parrot

Dominant colour

Detail of pietra dura work from the Diwan-i Am, Delhi Palace and Fort is a 1845 paint by Unknown, a Patna School of Painting work, depicting Parrot, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1845 · Patna School of Painting
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting shows a parrot on a tree branch. It's a detailed piece, made to showcase the pietra dura work found in Indian palaces. The fact that it was made by an Indian artist for a European client is also interesting, as it reflects the cultural exchange happening at the time. You can learn more about this style by looking into the technique of sfumato.

The story of this work

Overview

A detail from a set of five Company Paintings dated around 1845, this work depicts a parrot perched on a tree branch, illustrating inlaid marble or pietra dura decoration from the Diwan-i Am in Delhi’s Red Fort. Produced by Indian artists for European patrons, particularly British East India Company officials, the paintings blend traditional Indian techniques with Western artistic conventions. The series is notable for preserving visual records of original pietra dura work, much of which has since been damaged or lost. Some images were commissioned, while others were produced commercially for…

Read the full account in the museum source.