FOUR BOTANICAL STUDIES

COMPANY SCHOOL, MADRAS, CIRCA 1839-49

COMPANY SCHOOL, MADRAS, CIRCA 1839-49
Watercolor and pencil on paper. Each with English inscription in ink identifying the subject as "Moonthree Pulham", "Pauvacaw" and "Coondoomunny", "Unripe Mangoes", and "Rangoon Creeper". Three of the paintings are dated by inscription, either in ink or pencil: "Madras 15 May 1840", "16 August 49", and "May 1839 Madras".
21 1/2 x 14 7/8 in. (54.6 x 37.8 cm), the largest;
21 1/2 x 14 3/8 in. (54.6 x 36.5 cm), the smallest

These four exquisite watercolors belong to one or several dispersed albums of botanical studies, which are considered by some to be the finest specimens of Company School painting. These albums were painted by Indian artists working under the supervision of European patrons, who wished to record the astounding variety of flora and fauna that they encountered in the tropical climes of the subcontinent. Compare to another early 19th-century South Indian watercolor of Aunnay Coondoomunny sold at Bonhams, London, 22 October 2019, lot 123.

Provenance:
Plumpton Place, East Sussex
Gorringes, East Sussex, 25 September 2018, lot 464