What do you think?
Rate this book
Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company
As the East India Company extended its sway across India in the late eighteenth century, many remarkable artworks were commissioned by Company officials from Indian painters who had previously worked for the Mughals. Published to coincide with the first UK exhibition of these masterworks at The Wallace Collection, this book celebrates the work of a series of extraordinary Indian artists, each with their own style and tastes and agency, all of whom worked for British patrons between the 1770s and the bloody end of the Mughal rule in 1857.
Edited by writer and historian William Dalrymple, these hybrid paintings explore both the beauty of the Indian natural world and the social realities of the time in one hundred masterpieces, often of astonishing brilliance and originality. They shed light on a forgotten moment in Anglo-Indian history during which Indian artists responded to European influences while keeping intact their own artistic visions and styles. These artists represent the last phase of Indian artistic genius before the onset of the twin assaults - photography and the influence of western colonial art schools - ended an unbroken tradition of painting going back two thousand years. As these masterworks show, the greatest of these painters deserve to be remembered as among the most remarkable Indian artists of all time.
Edited by writer and historian William Dalrymple, these hybrid paintings explore both the beauty of the Indian natural world and the social realities of the time in one hundred masterpieces, often of astonishing brilliance and originality. They shed light on a forgotten moment in Anglo-Indian history during which Indian artists responded to European influences while keeping intact their own artistic visions and styles. These artists represent the last phase of Indian artistic genius before the onset of the twin assaults - photography and the influence of western colonial art schools - ended an unbroken tradition of painting going back two thousand years. As these masterworks show, the greatest of these painters deserve to be remembered as among the most remarkable Indian artists of all time.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 28, 2020
About the author
William Dalrymple
64 books3,777 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
William Dalrymple was born in Scotland and brought up on the shores of the Firth of Forth. He wrote the highly acclaimed bestseller In Xanadu when he was twenty-two. The book won the 1990 Yorkshire Post Best First Work Award and a Scottish Arts Council Spring Book Award; it was also shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize.
In 1989 Dalrymple moved to Delhi where he lived for six years researching his second book, City of Djinns, which won the 1994 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award. From the Holy Mountain, his acclaimed study of the demise of Christianity in its Middle Eastern homeland, was awarded the Scottish Arts Council Autumn Book Award for 1997; it was also shortlisted for the 1998 Thomas Cook Award, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the Duff Cooper Prize. A collection of his writings about India, The Age of Kali, won the French Prix D’Astrolabe in 2005.
White Mughals was published in 2003, the book won the Wolfson Prize for History 2003, the Scottish Book of the Year Prize, and was shortlisted for the PEN History Award, the Kiryama Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.
William Dalrymple is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Royal Asiatic Society, and is the founder and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival.
In 2002 he was awarded the Mungo Park Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for his ‘outstanding contribution to travel literature’. He wrote and presented the television series Stones of the Raj and Indian Journeys, which won the Grierson Award for Best Documentary Series at BAFTA in 2002. His Radio 4 series on the history of British spirituality and mysticism, The Long Search, won the 2002 Sandford St Martin Prize for Religious Broadcasting and was described by the judges as ‘thrilling in its brilliance... near perfect radio’. In December 2005 his article on the madrasas of Pakistan was awarded the prize for Best Print Article of the Year at the 2005 FPA Media Awards. In June 2006 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters honoris causa by the University of St Andrews “for his services to literature and international relations, to broadcasting and understanding”. In 2007, The Last Moghal won the prestigous Duff Cooper Prize for History and Biography. In November 2007, William received an Honourary Doctorate of Letters, honoris causa, from the University of Lucknow University “for his outstanding contribution in literature and history”, and in March 2008 won the James Todd Memorial Prize from the Maharana of Udaipur.
William is married to the artist Olivia Fraser, and they have three children. They now live on a farm outside Delhi.
William Dalrymple was born in Scotland and brought up on the shores of the Firth of Forth. He wrote the highly acclaimed bestseller In Xanadu when he was twenty-two. The book won the 1990 Yorkshire Post Best First Work Award and a Scottish Arts Council Spring Book Award; it was also shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize.
In 1989 Dalrymple moved to Delhi where he lived for six years researching his second book, City of Djinns, which won the 1994 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award. From the Holy Mountain, his acclaimed study of the demise of Christianity in its Middle Eastern homeland, was awarded the Scottish Arts Council Autumn Book Award for 1997; it was also shortlisted for the 1998 Thomas Cook Award, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the Duff Cooper Prize. A collection of his writings about India, The Age of Kali, won the French Prix D’Astrolabe in 2005.
White Mughals was published in 2003, the book won the Wolfson Prize for History 2003, the Scottish Book of the Year Prize, and was shortlisted for the PEN History Award, the Kiryama Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.
William Dalrymple is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Royal Asiatic Society, and is the founder and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival.
In 2002 he was awarded the Mungo Park Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for his ‘outstanding contribution to travel literature’. He wrote and presented the television series Stones of the Raj and Indian Journeys, which won the Grierson Award for Best Documentary Series at BAFTA in 2002. His Radio 4 series on the history of British spirituality and mysticism, The Long Search, won the 2002 Sandford St Martin Prize for Religious Broadcasting and was described by the judges as ‘thrilling in its brilliance... near perfect radio’. In December 2005 his article on the madrasas of Pakistan was awarded the prize for Best Print Article of the Year at the 2005 FPA Media Awards. In June 2006 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters honoris causa by the University of St Andrews “for his services to literature and international relations, to broadcasting and understanding”. In 2007, The Last Moghal won the prestigous Duff Cooper Prize for History and Biography. In November 2007, William received an Honourary Doctorate of Letters, honoris causa, from the University of Lucknow University “for his outstanding contribution in literature and history”, and in March 2008 won the James Todd Memorial Prize from the Maharana of Udaipur.
William is married to the artist Olivia Fraser, and they have three children. They now live on a farm outside Delhi.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 30, 2023
Overall a fantastic and illuminating read with some beautiful paintings. Forgotten Masters chronicles the different artists and styles during the time the British were slowly taking over the princely states in the 17th and early 18th Century. During this time, Indian artist from across the subcontinent were employed by many British officials to make paintings of the exotic flora and fauna of India which was new to them. The paintings also depicted the people and the architecture of the time. This was a time when Indian artists were also exposed to European style paining and this led to an interesting blend of the two "schools"/styles of painting creating what is know (for a lack of better word) "Company style". Though the word schools and Company style is used fast and loose as there was no overarching style but also not all of them were commissioned by British Company officers. Still there was a confluence of two different styles which made the painting stand out before the advent of photography which slowly killed this exquisite skill of painting subjects as they are as photography was much cheaper and often more representative.
The book has some impressive painting from across different collections both from Museums and private collections. Many of the paintings of Flora, Fauna and architecture are quite exquisite and helped expose people in England to the natural species found of the tropics. I enjoyed them the most. The book was commissioned for the Wallace collection when it was exhibited and contains both the context in which the paintings were made and commissioned as well as the biographies of the artists (not all of whom are known) and the people who commissioned them. This is a great exposition into the art of a forgotten era (compared to Miniature Mughal painting and other local traditional styles which are still popular). I only wish they had more images (though they have quite a few of them in the book).
The book has some impressive painting from across different collections both from Museums and private collections. Many of the paintings of Flora, Fauna and architecture are quite exquisite and helped expose people in England to the natural species found of the tropics. I enjoyed them the most. The book was commissioned for the Wallace collection when it was exhibited and contains both the context in which the paintings were made and commissioned as well as the biographies of the artists (not all of whom are known) and the people who commissioned them. This is a great exposition into the art of a forgotten era (compared to Miniature Mughal painting and other local traditional styles which are still popular). I only wish they had more images (though they have quite a few of them in the book).
January 25, 2022
A nice primer to understand the works and the world of painting during the presence of East India Company. 3.5 stars.
September 26, 2020
A beautiful book which almost makes up for missing the exhibition at The Wallace Collection because of lockdown. I like the way the sections are introduced by essays by different authors from varied backgrounds. Absolutely stunning images and it's marvellous that these talented artists have been brought to prominence. As good as the paintings of flora and fauna are, the ones that I particularly like are those of people, e.g. Afghan horse traders and recruits for Skinner's Horse; they are so vibrant and really capture their characters. In the same way that Sita Ram is a voice from a lost past, these people - who would otherwise be forgotten - are almost brought back to life. It's a charming thought that these paintings may have been commissioned by 'sahibs' and 'memsahibs' but they hardly appear in them at all, rather the focus is all on Indian subjects.
December 3, 2022
Full review published in Dawn News. Find it here. https://wordpress.com/post/nageenshai...
As the book reveals historical South Asian paintings, it may seem that its research-driven contribution in the form of its essays is likely to follow an art historical-methodological approach. That is not the case. The contributors are a pleasant mix of art and world historians, curators, a researcher and a journalist, thus offering nuanced perspectives and research to the subject of Indian painting contracted by the East India Company.
As the book reveals historical South Asian paintings, it may seem that its research-driven contribution in the form of its essays is likely to follow an art historical-methodological approach. That is not the case. The contributors are a pleasant mix of art and world historians, curators, a researcher and a journalist, thus offering nuanced perspectives and research to the subject of Indian painting contracted by the East India Company.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews