A Shawl goat
1779
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1779
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
A Shawl goat is a 1779 paint by Sheikh Zainuddin, a Patna School of Painting work, depicting Goat, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a shawl goat standing sideways. Its thick fur looks soft and curly, and the artist paid close attention to the goat’s ribbed horns. The background is simple—just pale colors—so the goat stands out. This work was made by an Indian artist for British collectors. The British called these images “Company paintings” because they were done for the East India Company. This piece came from a big set made for Sir Elijah and Lady Impey, who loved Indian animals. Look up Zayn al-Din next.
This painting of a shawl goat was produced in 1779 by the Indian artist Shaykh Zayn al-Din, one of three painters commissioned by Sir Elijah Impey and Lady Impey to document their private collection of Indian flora and fauna in Calcutta. The work was part of a group of natural history studies later donated to the Linnean Society, London, and subsequently sold at auction in 1963 before being acquired by the museum. The subject reflects contemporary British interest in the commercial potential of the goat’s wool, which was widely used in Sikh court textiles for garments, tents, and furnishings.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Sheikh Zainuddin or Shaikh Zain-al-Din (fl. 1777–1782) was an Indian artist who moved from Patna to Calcutta and worked for patronage in British Raj. His works blending Mughal and Western painting techniques belonged to…
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