.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
This is a superb example of the theme of the exotic that became a popular genre in 18th century Indian painting, especially in Mewar. It blends figures, textiles, objects, paintings, architecture and landscape of local, Western and Far Eastern inspiration into a captivating composition.
In 1711, an embassy of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to the Mughal Court stopped en route at Udaipur. The embassy was led by Johan Josua Ketelaar and their reception in Udaipur by Maharana Sangram Singh (r.1710-34) is depicted in several paintings including two now in the Victoria & Albert Museum (09405(IS) and 09316(IS)) and another in the Rijksmuseum (NG-1987-7). Topsfield writes that this must have been one of the earliest European visits to the traditionalist and politically isolated Rajput court of Udaipur (Topsfield 1984, p.350). This visit, and no doubt that of other Dutch farangis (or ‘Franks’, a term used broadly and often unsympathetically to refer to the French, Portuguese, Dutch and English) made a lasting impression on the imagination of the artists of Udaipur and seeded a fascination for a theme of the exotic which continued over the course of a century.
This theme wasn’t new to South Asian art. Stephen Markel writes that "exotic foreigners and otherworldly anthropomorphized creatures have been often depicted as caricatures with exaggerated features and convoluted postures, and frequently wearing misunderstood foreign or hybrid garb. In Indian paintings of the later 16th through 19th centuries, there was a renewed interest in portraying bizarre-looking outlanders, as well as comical Indians… Painters took evident delight in depicting such literally ‘outlandish’ characters, often as stereotypes and stock motifs. These seemingly humorous or satirical observations of the ‘Other’ could be termed Occidentalism, an Asian corollary of Orientalism…" (Markel 2015).
This painting perfectly exemplifies this genre – intentionally blending exotic worlds – that of the European farangi with Chinese and local influences. In his pioneering essay on these farangi paintings, Andrew Topsfield describes ours of one of the "last flights of fancy of the firangi theme which had begun over a century earlier following the visit of Ketelaar’s embassy" (Topsfield 1984, p.363, fig,21). In this composition, both ladies, whose faces seem drawn from Chinese export reverse glass paintings, sit on Regency chairs wearing robes of Chinese silk. The lady on the right wears a European cap and rests her arm on a Georgian tripod table, upon which rests a selection of blue and white porcelain - the flower vase clearly painted with Persian figures. In her hand is the mouth piece of a huqqa – elegantly inlaid in gold – and as she sits, her companion offers her paan from a gold box. Behind them a clock, German or French in origin, sits upon the mantlepiece beneath three European portraits. The building in which they sit has a very Mughal colonnade of cusped arches but beyond them lies European palatial architecture – adorned with classical columns. Diminutive figures, wearing early 19th century European dress pepper the landscape, strolling amongst the gently rolling hills.
The sources of influence are varied and plentiful. One that is particularly distinct is the source of the architecture of the background and the figures within it, which relate closely to European prints, specifically a series of prints of London by George Sayer which were published in the 1750s (examples are in the British Museum, acc.nos.1880,113.2296; 1880,1113.2456; 188,1113.2393; 1880,1113.1836). These prints all use the same compositional approach with small groups of figures promenading in a wide panorama with distant buildings and small trees. The costume of the small figures in our painting seem more in keeping with a date closer to 1800 than the 1750s date of the prints, indicating that our artist was using these as one of many points of reference.
In their publication on the artists Bagta and Chokha, Beach and Singh illustrate one of these prints, depicting the Great Pleasure Pavilion and Garden at Ranelagh along with a direct copy of it done in Devgarh in the first half of the 19th century, both now collection of Nahar Singh II of Devgarh. This demonstrates the access that the artists of Devgarh had to such prints (Beach and Singh 2005, p.88, figs.104-5). One might also consider also that our artist may have been inspired by colonial architecture experienced first hand, closer to home.
The closest comparable to our painting is a depiction of Exotic Farangi Ladies which was published alongside ours in Topsfield’s article (1984) and was recently sold as part of the Stuart Cary Welch sale at Sotheby’s, 25 October 2023, lot 47. Welch attributed that work to a Deccani-trained Mewar artist (Welch and Mastellar 2004, p.175), and Andrew Topsfield attributed it, at least in part, to Chokha, suggesting that it might have been painted for either Maharana Bhim Singh of Udaipur (r.1778-1828) or Rawat Gokul Das of Devgarh (r.1786-1821). Chokha worked at the court in Udaipur until 1811. Beach writes that he developed a style of great wit, and drew from a range of subjects and stylistic influences that suited the Udaipur patronage more than his native Devgarh. Other paintings by Chokha showing the influence of European works include two paintings after a 17th century work by Georges de la Tour of St. Anne and the Christ Child (Art Gallery of Ontario, published Beach and Singh 2005, fig.102A). The versions by Chokha are in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the collection of the Marquis of Dufferin and Ava (Beach and Singh 2005, fig.102 and Welch 1978, no.59). The Cary Welch painting bore a number of hallmarks of Chokha’s work – such as the heavy stippling on the chins of the ladies. Ours certainly follows in Chokha’s witty style and is likely to be by an artist strongly influenced by him. For more information on Chokha and his style see Beach 2011, pp. 733-752; Topsfield 2002, and Beach and Nahar Singh, 2005.
In 1711, an embassy of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to the Mughal Court stopped en route at Udaipur. The embassy was led by Johan Josua Ketelaar and their reception in Udaipur by Maharana Sangram Singh (r.1710-34) is depicted in several paintings including two now in the Victoria & Albert Museum (09405(IS) and 09316(IS)) and another in the Rijksmuseum (NG-1987-7). Topsfield writes that this must have been one of the earliest European visits to the traditionalist and politically isolated Rajput court of Udaipur (Topsfield 1984, p.350). This visit, and no doubt that of other Dutch farangis (or ‘Franks’, a term used broadly and often unsympathetically to refer to the French, Portuguese, Dutch and English) made a lasting impression on the imagination of the artists of Udaipur and seeded a fascination for a theme of the exotic which continued over the course of a century.
This theme wasn’t new to South Asian art. Stephen Markel writes that "exotic foreigners and otherworldly anthropomorphized creatures have been often depicted as caricatures with exaggerated features and convoluted postures, and frequently wearing misunderstood foreign or hybrid garb. In Indian paintings of the later 16th through 19th centuries, there was a renewed interest in portraying bizarre-looking outlanders, as well as comical Indians… Painters took evident delight in depicting such literally ‘outlandish’ characters, often as stereotypes and stock motifs. These seemingly humorous or satirical observations of the ‘Other’ could be termed Occidentalism, an Asian corollary of Orientalism…" (Markel 2015).
This painting perfectly exemplifies this genre – intentionally blending exotic worlds – that of the European farangi with Chinese and local influences. In his pioneering essay on these farangi paintings, Andrew Topsfield describes ours of one of the "last flights of fancy of the firangi theme which had begun over a century earlier following the visit of Ketelaar’s embassy" (Topsfield 1984, p.363, fig,21). In this composition, both ladies, whose faces seem drawn from Chinese export reverse glass paintings, sit on Regency chairs wearing robes of Chinese silk. The lady on the right wears a European cap and rests her arm on a Georgian tripod table, upon which rests a selection of blue and white porcelain - the flower vase clearly painted with Persian figures. In her hand is the mouth piece of a huqqa – elegantly inlaid in gold – and as she sits, her companion offers her paan from a gold box. Behind them a clock, German or French in origin, sits upon the mantlepiece beneath three European portraits. The building in which they sit has a very Mughal colonnade of cusped arches but beyond them lies European palatial architecture – adorned with classical columns. Diminutive figures, wearing early 19th century European dress pepper the landscape, strolling amongst the gently rolling hills.
The sources of influence are varied and plentiful. One that is particularly distinct is the source of the architecture of the background and the figures within it, which relate closely to European prints, specifically a series of prints of London by George Sayer which were published in the 1750s (examples are in the British Museum, acc.nos.1880,113.2296; 1880,1113.2456; 188,1113.2393; 1880,1113.1836). These prints all use the same compositional approach with small groups of figures promenading in a wide panorama with distant buildings and small trees. The costume of the small figures in our painting seem more in keeping with a date closer to 1800 than the 1750s date of the prints, indicating that our artist was using these as one of many points of reference.
In their publication on the artists Bagta and Chokha, Beach and Singh illustrate one of these prints, depicting the Great Pleasure Pavilion and Garden at Ranelagh along with a direct copy of it done in Devgarh in the first half of the 19th century, both now collection of Nahar Singh II of Devgarh. This demonstrates the access that the artists of Devgarh had to such prints (Beach and Singh 2005, p.88, figs.104-5). One might also consider also that our artist may have been inspired by colonial architecture experienced first hand, closer to home.
The closest comparable to our painting is a depiction of Exotic Farangi Ladies which was published alongside ours in Topsfield’s article (1984) and was recently sold as part of the Stuart Cary Welch sale at Sotheby’s, 25 October 2023, lot 47. Welch attributed that work to a Deccani-trained Mewar artist (Welch and Mastellar 2004, p.175), and Andrew Topsfield attributed it, at least in part, to Chokha, suggesting that it might have been painted for either Maharana Bhim Singh of Udaipur (r.1778-1828) or Rawat Gokul Das of Devgarh (r.1786-1821). Chokha worked at the court in Udaipur until 1811. Beach writes that he developed a style of great wit, and drew from a range of subjects and stylistic influences that suited the Udaipur patronage more than his native Devgarh. Other paintings by Chokha showing the influence of European works include two paintings after a 17th century work by Georges de la Tour of St. Anne and the Christ Child (Art Gallery of Ontario, published Beach and Singh 2005, fig.102A). The versions by Chokha are in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the collection of the Marquis of Dufferin and Ava (Beach and Singh 2005, fig.102 and Welch 1978, no.59). The Cary Welch painting bore a number of hallmarks of Chokha’s work – such as the heavy stippling on the chins of the ladies. Ours certainly follows in Chokha’s witty style and is likely to be by an artist strongly influenced by him. For more information on Chokha and his style see Beach 2011, pp. 733-752; Topsfield 2002, and Beach and Nahar Singh, 2005.