A Lady in a Howdah, North India, possibly Benares, circa 1880, brush drawing and gouache in brown and black on paper, 20.8 x 16.9cm. Provenance: Stuart Carey Welch (1928-2008) Curator of Islamic Art at the Fogg Museum, curator of Islamic and Indian...

A Lady in a Howdah, North India, possibly Benares, circa 1880, brush drawing and gouache in brown and black on paper, 20.8 x 16.9cm. Provenance: Stuart Carey Welch (1928-2008) Curator of Islamic Art at the Fogg Museum, curator of Islamic and Indian Art at Harvard Art Museum and consultant to the Department of Islamic Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The lady is dressed in shalwar and some kind of bodice with a dupatta wrapped round her shoulders and head is seated in a silver, open-fronted ceremonial howdah. She hangs onto a huge flower growing out of the front of the howdah to steady herself against the typical rolling gait of an elephant. The woman's appearance would suggest that she is a courtesan, though as she also seems to be made of the same material as the howdah, it is possible that the drawing is a design for a silver table ornament. Indians traditionally sat cross-legged on the floor or on Chowkis (platforms), however with the increasing arrival of Europeans, western furniture became a common feature in many Indian households. Objects such as chairs and sofas were regarded as uncomfortable, however they became necessary to receive European guests. Such furniture was usually confined to rooms only used by foreign visitors Initially, Calcutta and Bombay merchants thrived by importing these luxuries. However, soon Indian craftsmen began to duplicate them and even impose their own designs. Native designers and craftsmen learned to develop the Victorian aesthetics further, into outrageous complex shapes, ideal for the drawing rooms of Maharajas, Nawabs, and rich merchants. These drawings show the great imagination and inventiveness, which effectively enticed prospective buyers. The design of the howdah incorporates some obvious English influence such as the Tudor rose on the body and the High Victorian elaboration of the twisted flower stem. For a whole group of similarly elaborate howdah and other furniture designs formerly in the Stuart Cary Welch Collection, see Sotheby’s 31 May 2011, no. 134. These drawings are from Benares circa 1880, where a firm specialized in making such elaborate furniture for the princely market. For a further discussion see S. C. Welch, Room for Wonder: Indian Painting during the British Period 1760-1880, New York, 1978.