The departure of King Thibaw from Mandalay
1887
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1887
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
The departure of King Thibaw from Mandalay is a 1887 paint by Unknown, a Patna School of Painting work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
The painting shows King Thibaw leaving Mandalay. It's a scene of people and horses. The king's departure is the main event, but what's interesting is that this painting was made by an Indian artist for a European buyer, which was a common practice at the time. This type of painting is called a Company painting, which is a mix of Indian and Western art styles. You can learn more about this style at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The painting depicts the forced departure of King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat from Mandalay following the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885. It shows the royal family seated in a pavilion within the palace grounds, surrounded by British officers and Burmese ministers, while British and Indian troops stand nearby. In the foreground, the king and queen leave in covered bullock carts, accompanied by armed escort, with white royal umbrellas marking their procession. The background features the Irrawaddy River, paddle steamers, and a distant landscape of wooded terrain and temples.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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