Harvard Art Museums > 2009.202.259: Portraits of Five Seated Englishmen Paintings Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Portraits of Five Seated Englishmen (Unknown Artist) , 2009.202.259,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 20, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/216939. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2009.202.259 People Unknown Artist Title Portraits of Five Seated Englishmen Classification Paintings Work Type painting Date 19th century Places Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Kota Culture Indian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/216939 Physical Descriptions Medium Opaque watercolor on paper Dimensions 21.5 x 30.3 cm (8 7/16 x 11 15/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Stuart Cary Welch (by 1973 - 2008,) by descent; to his estate (2008-2009,) gift; to Harvard Art Museum. Notes: Object was part of temporary loan to Museum in 1973. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Gift of Edith I. Welch in memory of Stuart Cary Welch Accession Year 2009 Object Number 2009.202.259 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Commentary Label text from exhibition “Company to Crown: Perceptions and Reactions in British India,” April 8–October 15, 2011, curated by Maliha Noorani, 2009–11 Norma Jean Calderwood Curatorial Fellow, Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art, Harvard Art Museums: Portraits of Five Seated Englishmen Kota, Rajasthan, India, 19th century Opaque watercolor on paper Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Gift of Edith I. Welch in memory of Stuart Cary Welch, 2009.202.259 These two drawings offer a satirical view of the British through an Indian lens, as local artists responded to the growing presence and influence of the English in the time of the Crown Raj. Two European Men in White Hats portrays dandies with brilliant blue eyes and large ears, clad in pith helmets and white suits. Whereas earlier generations of British merchants and officers had adopted Indian ways, Company officers often wore full English dress despite the wilting heat in India. Portraits of Five Seated Gentlemen may either be poking fun at its subjects or simply the whimsical result of a hybrid style. The men, wearing Western dress, are in mid-conversation, perched awkwardly on their chairs, legs askew. The pink tones of their faces are rendered sensitively in gouache technique, which was used widely in Mughal painting. But the artist’s attempt to convey three-dimensionality and volume reflects the growing interest in European style. Exhibition History Re-View: S231 (Islamic rotation: 7) Company to Crown, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 04/08/2011 - 10/15/2011 32Q: 2590 South and Southeast Asia, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/04/2021 - 01/06/2022 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
