Indian Company School Mica Paintings – Set of 8 Musicians & Nautch Dancing Women, Early 19th-century
Indian Company School Mica Paintings – Set of 8 Musicians & Nautch Dancing Women, Early 19th-century
Indian Company School Mica Paintings – Set of 8 Musicians & Nautch Dancing Women, Early 19th-century
Indian Company School Mica Paintings – Set of 8 Musicians & Nautch Dancing Women, Early 19th-century
Indian Company School Mica Paintings – Set of 8 Musicians & Nautch Dancing Women, Early 19th-century
Indian Company School Mica Paintings – Set of 8 Musicians & Nautch Dancing Women, Early 19th-century
Indian Company School Mica Paintings – Set of 8 Musicians & Nautch Dancing Women, Early 19th-century
Indian Company School Mica Paintings – Set of 8 Musicians & Nautch Dancing Women, Early 19th-century
Indian Company School Mica Paintings – Set of 8 Musicians & Nautch Dancing Women, Early 19th-century

Indian Company School Mica Paintings – Set of 8 Musicians & Nautch Dancing Women, Early 19th-century

€806,95
€806,95
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View the full Collection: Indian Mica Paintings

An original early 19th-century set of 8 Indian gouache paintings on transparent mica.

A fantastically vivid set of eight early 19th-century Indian gouache paintings on transparent mica depicting musicians and dancing women. The paintings are small in size, measuring approximately 11.6 x 8.3cm.

The detailed, colourful images comprise Nautch Singing Girl; Nautch Dancing Girls; Tambura-player; Tabla-player; Sarangi-players; and Cymbal-player.

An inscription accompanying the collection indicates a likely provenance: 'probably bought by Capt Guise'. This is possibly Lt Colonel John Guise (1813–1890), HEICS of The Bengal Army, Lt General John Christopher Guise VC CB (1826–1895) who served with the British Army at Lucknow in 1857, or his brother Major Henry John Guise (1817–1857) who was killed in action during the Indian Rebellion.

Indian Company paintings on mica are rare; it is estimated that as of now, there are only around 7,000 mica paintings available in the world.

The mica is loose with no mount or backing.

+ Read the S&W Collection Research

Indian Mica Paintings

'Company School' refers to a variety of hybrid styles that came about through the influence of Western (especially British) patrons on Indian artists in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Finding traditional, stylised Indian painting not to their taste, these patrons began to collect works that, while incorporating traditional elements from Rajput and Mughal painting were given a more 'western' appearance through their use of perspective and rounded modelling, as opposed to the more decorative, 'flatter' styles that had gone before.

The Company style evolved to meet this demand: as many of their collectors worked for the East India Company, these paintings became associated with the name. Leading centres of the Company style were the main British settlements of Calcutta, Madras (Chennai), Delhi, Lucknow and Patna.

Europeans commissioned sets of images depicting festivals and scenes from Indian life, with people of different castes or trades being particular favourite subjects, as well as dancers and musicians. Collectors were particularly attracted to what were perceived to be the exotic customs, costumes and architecture of their adopted—and in many cases temporary—homeland.

Mica is a transparent mineral which is found throughout south India. The mica is formed between strata of granite, and the transparency of the material is a result of the heat and pressure created between layers of rock. Mica consists of many interlocking platelets, resulting in a laminar structure which can be split easily into thin sheets.

The appeal of mica as a support for painting is due to its very smooth surface: the paint sits on it without sinking in, making the colours very intense. Mica is a very brittle substance, however, meaning that it is relatively rare to find examples in perfect condition.

COA
+ Artwork Details

Dimensions: Height: 11.6cm (4.57") Width: 8.3cm (3.27")

Presented: Unframed.

Medium: Gouache

Age: Early 19th-century

Signed: No.

Inscribed: No.

Dated: --

Condition: Overall in very good condition, with vivid colours and minimal paint and mica loss, and generally very little delamination. Minor toning in places. One of the micas has a loss to the upper left corner and minor paint loss at the lower corners. Please see photos for detail.

Stock number: KC-520