Museum objects, artifacts, and archival items from the Sarmaya collection.
This illustrated book with over 350 engravings and photogravures, authored by the French polymath Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931), was published in 1887. Gustave Le Bon was sent to India by the Ministry of Public Instruction (now, Ministry of National Education), Government of France, to methodically research and report on the arts and culture of the… Read more »
This is a decorative map of British India published in 1851 by John Tallis and Company, renowned for their intricate maps, prized for their decorative vignettes showing the people and landscape of the region. In this map the Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay Presidencies are indicated, along with planned railway lines. While the first passenger train… Read more »
This Gond-Pardhan painting is an acrylic on canvas work, made by artist Mayank Shyam (b. 1987) This painting depicts a body of water teeming with fish. Mayank Shyam found inspiration in the folktale of the Bada Dev, the main deity of the Gond-Pardhan community, that is believed to have been born as a fish in the water. The… Read more »
This map titled ‘Carte De L’Inde En Deca Du Gange Comprenant L’Indoustan &C.’, produced by a French cartographer Jacques Nicolas Bellin (1703-1773) was published in Petit Atlas Maritime, a part of a five-volume atlas published by him. It illustrates Northern region of the subcontinent of modern-day India, Afghanistan and Pakistan. By the late eighteenth century,… Read more »
‘Line of March of Bengal Regiment of Infantry in Scinde’ is illustrated by Frederic Peter Layard (1818-91), who was enlisted as an ensign in the East India Company’s armed forces. Layard shared a passion for art with many of his colleagues in the civil and military services of the East India Company. This book illustrates… Read more »
The Untitled Gond-Pardhan painting is an acrylic on paper work, made by artist Sukhnandi Vyam (b. 1983). This painting illustrates a passage from a mythology in the Gond community about Kammalheero, the queen consort of the king of Heergadhi. Kammalheero, disguised as a cow, travels to the enemy realm in search of her husband’s body after… Read more »
This artwork titled Ancestral Histories/ stories #1 is by Saju Kunhan (b. 1983) It is one of seven works from the Home Ground series, each of which imagines a historical event connected to the artist’s ancestors. Saju Kunhan has incorporated characters into stories he has heard when he was a child by using pictures and… Read more »
This double-die-struck silver coin from the Gwalior Mint (Madhya Pradesh) was issued by Alamgir II in 1753-54. Mughal Emperor Alamgir II (1699–1744), also referred to as Aziz–ud–Din Muhammad, ruled Delhi between 1754 and 1759. Regarded as a “puppet” monarch, Alamgir II was manipulated by other court officials and rulers. His four-year tenure saw a rise… Read more »
This is a photograph of the interiors of the Golconda Fort complex in Hyderabad by an unidentified photographer. During the Qutub Shahi Dynasty (16th-17th centuries), the Golconda Fort became a prominent power house. Ibrahim Qutub Shah (1518-1580) significantly strengthened the fort with stone and mortar during his reign, and it was subsequently fortified throughout succeeding… Read more »
This artwork composed using gold leaf on paper is by Desmond Lazaro (b. 1968). It is inspired by the first modern image of the Milky way produced by William Hershel (1738-1822), a British astronomer, in 1785. Herschel mapped his observations from 600 locations while plotting the night sky section by section to create the model.… Read more »
This hand-painted engraving by an unidentified artist shows a view of the Diwan-e Khas with a red, decorated canopy inside the Red Fort, Delhi. The Diwan-e Khas is a rectangular marble structure that was given the name Shah Mahal by the Mughal emperor Shahjahan (1592–1666) and embellished with gilded gems, inlay work, and floral patterns.… Read more »
This untitled Bhil painting is by contemporary artist Lado Bai (b. 1954) depicting flora, fauna and a human figure. For the Bhil tribe of Madhya Pradesh, art is a device for marking events, preserving memories and capturing the community’s deep connection with nature. The fundamental theme of Lado Bai’s artwork is the symbiotic relationships between… Read more »
This composition in watercolour on wasli paper is by artist Varunika Saraf (b. 1981). Varunika Saraf believes that the only means of combating societal prejudices, bigotry, and discrimination is through the power of love. This work is inspired by the poem “Love is contraband in Hell” written by Assata Shakur(b. 1947), an American civil rights… Read more »
This is the 1st Ed. No. LXXII, in the Second series of the Bombay in the Days of Queen Anne. As a official of the East India Service, John Brunell arrived to the subcontinent in the latter half of the 17th century. This book has an introduction by Samuel T. Sheppard and includes Brunell’s two… Read more »
The etching titled ‘Resurrection’, was made by the Delhi-based mural artist Achutan Ramachandran (b. 1935) in 1968. This work is reminiscent of Ramchandran’s earlier works (from 1960-1980s), where he created a series of etchings that significantly drew inspiration from the Bible to convey his agony in response to the societal injustice and bloodshed that followed… Read more »
This composition is an Untitled piece by Gopa Trivedi (b.1987) made from Gouache and Silver foil on Wasli. This work is inspired by a Hindi poem by Pash, the pen-name of Avtar Singh Sandhu. मैं घास हूँ (I am grass) is an anthem of dissent. In Gopa Trivedi’s painting, the gradual progress of the grass… Read more »
This composition is a 23 carat gold on paper titled ‘The Canopy’ by Jethro Buck (b. 1986). Jethro Buck attempts to draw our attention away from ourselves and into a contemplation of treetops and the limitless space beyond. Through the canopy, we get a glimpse at the profound infinity of the universe. To the artist,… Read more »
This Warli artwork titled ‘Kansari’ is by Tushar Vayeda (b.1987) and Mayur Vayeda (b.1992), artists based in Ganjad, Maharashtra. The Warli way of life is the way of the forest. The spirits worshipped by the tribe are personifications of natural phenomena. One such spirit is the subject of Tushar and Mayur Vayeda’s painting, Kansari, named… Read more »
This Warli artwork titled ‘The Wave’ is by Tushar Vayeda (b.1987) and Mayur Vayeda (b.1992), artists based in Ganjad, Maharashtra. Tushar and Mayur Vayeda retell a Warli legend in this work. There’s a belief in the community that in each life cycle of the earth, waves of natural and man-made disasters will strike until eventually,… Read more »
This composition is a 2018 ‘Untitled’ work in gouache on Japanese paper by Dibin K. Thilakan (b. 1989). Created after the catastrophic 2018 Kerala floods, Dibin Thilakan’s painting obscures boundaries between land and water. The floods caused widespread displacement and damage across the state. While he highlights the helplessness of the average citizen awaiting relief… Read more »