Untitled

In the hundred years following the victory of the East India Company at Plassey in 1757, Calcutta experienced an overwhelming churn of indigenous and Western influences in all walks of life, including the arts, a great example of which are Kalighat pats. These were created by folk artists settled around the Kalighat temple who were quick at adopting certain features of Western painting. The Untitled work here features Shiv-Parvati, and the Nandi bull underneath the couple’s seat. The influence of Mughal miniatures is discernible in the stylisation of faces and jewellery, especially Parvati’s headgear.