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  • Mounted Policeman

    Rewa (Central India)

    pigments on paper

    Company Painting, Signed by the artist Avadh Sharan

    A charming Company painting of a policeman captioned, “Mounted Police, Rewa.” Originally bound in an album. The Indian Police Services was part of the uniform system of police administration in British Raj, as established by Government of India Act 1858, Police Act of 1861. It was motivated by the danger experienced by the British during the 1857 rebellion. During 1920s the Imperial Indian police had 310,000 police in their contingent. Its members policed more than 300 million people in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma (then comprising British Raj). The police held a multiplicity of functions. As an agency of state coercion and intelligence gathering, the police were vital to Britain’s attempts to hold onto power in India. By the mid-1940s the erosion of police loyalty towards the British was an important index of Britain’s waning power.

    ‘Company’ is a designation given to works by Indian artists painted in a mixed Indo-European style for the various East India companies. The foundation of this Indo-European style can be traced to the establishment of the first Portuguese trading posts. The British only counted as patrons in the 1760s following Clive’s victory at Plassey in 1757 . Patronage by the British in effect followed the flag. Princely states never directly under British control produced little company art and important centres like Delhi and Agra only became so after the British stabilised the reason in the early 1800s. Photography gradually replaced the genre in the 1840s but the style lingered on until the late nineteenth century. Barring minor regional variations, Company Style took the same form in all the centres. The favourite subjects were trades, costumes, crafts and festivals. Also popular were topographical pictures of contemporary India and exotic flora and fauna.

    Painting Size (cms): 22 (H) x 18 (W)
    Painting Size (inch): 8.5 (H) x 7 (L)

    Framed Size (cms): 36.5 (H) x 32 (W)
    Framed Size (inch): 14.5 (H) x 12.5 (L)

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  • Nandi Incense Holder

    Karnataka (South India)

    copper alloy

    A beautifully caparisoned copper Nandi standing on a rectangular plinth. The Nandi wears an engraved saddle blanket which is surmounted by a bowl-like structure which would have held an incense burner or an oil reservoir. He is bridled and decorated with necklaces around his neck.

    Nandi or nandin means rejoicing, gladdening. It is the name of Shiva’s conveyance (vahana) the white bull. Nandi was probably a folk deity later incorporated into the Brahmanic lore. Nandi symbolises on the one hand moral and religious duty (dharma), and on the other, virility, fertility and strength. Apart from being Shiva’s vehicle, nandi in his form as nandikeshvara, depicted as a human with a bulls head, is believed to be one of the great masters of music and dancing. In southern India his recumbent image is placed either opposite the main sanctuary or in the hall leading to it, facing the linga.

    Size (cms): 10.8(H) x 11.5(W) x 4.7(D)
    Size (inches): 4.5(H) x 4.5(W) x 2(D)

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  • Palanquin Pole Finial

    Karnataka

    Brass alloy

    A brass palanquin pole finial taking the sculptural form of a makara head with an elephantine trunk, with bulbous eyes, pointed ears and a gaping mouth. The emotive expression of the makara, with his open mouth is powerful yet unthreatening, underlying its protective function, benign in character though capable of potential ferocity when attacked. It is almost as if he is showing off, displaying his power and status, probably reflecting that of the palanquin’s grand passenger.

    Palanquins or sedan chairs were used throughout India, the larger ones to transport people and the smaller ones for religious deities to be taken around the temple complex on festival days. The present example is from the latter category. It was fitted to the wooden forward pole of the palanquin; the rear pole was usually covered with a simple metal cover or cylinder.

    Size (cms): 11.5(H with stand) x 13.5(W) x 5(D)
    Size (inches): 4.5(H with stand) x 5.5(W) x 2(D)

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