An English Gig

Maker(s)
Artist: Sheikh Muhammad Amir (19th century)
Historical period(s)
ca. 1840
School
Company School
Medium
Opaque watercolor on burnished paper
Dimensions
H x W: 25.3 x 38.2 cm (9 15/16 x 15 1/16 in)
Geography
India, West Bengal state, Kolkata (Calcutta)
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1997.69
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Album, Painting
Type

Album leaf with painting

Keywords
gig, India
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Sheikh Muhammad Amir of Karraya (a suburb of Calcutta), the greatest of the Calcutta Company School painters, specialized in portraying the domestic lives of the British in India. Collected in albums, his paintings record prized possessions, such as this carefully rendered English gig that testify to British efforts to recreate their customs in an unfamiliar land.

Published References
  • Spink & Son Ltd. A Journey Through India: A Company School Pictures. London. .
  • Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India. Exh. cat. London. p. 131, fig. 71.
  • Peter Fuhring. Design into Art: Drawings for Architecture and Ornament, The Lodewijk Houthakker Collection. London. no. 725, pp. 440-441.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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