Weaver

The so-called ‘Company School’ emerged in the latter part of the 18th century when the British overthrew both the Mughal and the Rajput rulers of India. Indian artists, who had previously painted for Mughal and Rajput patrons, instead began painting for the English residents of India, many of whom were employed with the British East India Company. Pictures painted for the British by Indian artists to suit the taste of the new clients came to be known as ‘Company Painting’. Company school artists mostly recorded the occupations and customs of local populations but were also commissioned to document architectural sites and undertake works of scientific investigation including studies of botanical specimens and local fauna.

Several distinct styles and sub-schools of Company painting developed throughout India as well as regions beyond, such as Sri Lanka and Burma. This painting, characteristic of Company School painting shows a neatly painted weaver that would have been part of a series depicting different castes and occupations, many holding tools of their trade, set against bright, opaque backgrounds or instead against the white of the paper.