Three Brahmin couples
1830
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1830
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Three Brahmin couples is a 1830 paint by Unknown, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows five people standing in a line—two men and three women—all dressed in colorful, draped clothes. The women wear long skirts and jewelry, while the men have wrapped cloths and some bare chests. One woman holds a large pot, and the men have their hands near their sides or slightly raised. The colors are bright, with reds, blues, and golds standing out against a plain background. The text under each person looks like a label, possibly names or roles, written in a script that might be from South Asia. This suggests the painting could be documenting traditional clothing from that region. If you like this, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum for more works like it.
The artwork consists of three folios depicting Tamil Brahmin couples from the early 19th century. The first shows a Sonarta Brahmin man holding a palm-leaf manuscript and a woman carrying a waterpot. The second folio portrays a Tamil Iyengar Brahmin couple. The third depicts a pair, possibly fan-makers, each holding a fan. The folios were part of a larger volume of thirty, illustrating castes, occupations, cultivation methods, and processions.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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