File:Ouache painting on mica of a portly man.jpg

Object types painting

Materials mica (all objects) Techniques painted Production place Painted in Tiruchirapalli (?) (Asia,South Asia,India,Tamil Nadu,Tiruchirapalli) Place (findspot) Found/Acquired India (all objects) (Asia,South Asia,India) Date 19thC(mid) Schools /Styles Company School

Description Gouache painting on mica of a portly man, his left arm extended and holding a spear in the crook of his right arm, wearing a red turban and a blue pyjama with a mauve sash at the waist. His white jama is tied at his left shoulder and a green shawl is draped over his shoulders.

Dimensions Height: 12.5 centimetres Width: 8.5 centimetres

Curator's comments Dallapiccola 2010: This painting is from a set of twenty-four paintings on mica. The set depicts couples representing different professional groups. However, instead of showing a man and wife together, as is common in such sets, each leaf of mica depicts a single figure holding the typical tools of the trade. In 1913,0208,0,15 - 24, the figure stands in a green foreground, and a line of trees and mountains enlivens the otherwise plain background. 1913,0208,0,25 - 36 are the work of a different artist, who has dispensed with the background. A curved line on the burnt sienna foreground suggests the shadow cast by the figure. Such sets were mass produced, and often the quality was competent, but rather dry.

Subject trade/occupation costume/clothing

Acquisition date 1913

Acquisition name From Miss Caroline Layard (biographical details | all objects)