Museum objects, artifacts, and archival items from the Sarmaya collection.
This composition is an Untitled work by Gopa Trivedi (b. 1987) made from gold and graphite on wasli. Gopa Trivedi’s work illuminates our individual and collective anxieties about a slow degradation eating at the ground beneath our feet. The stork in this composition symbolises apathy. Gopa is inspired by Indian miniature painting traditions to create… Read more »
This woodcut print by Chandan Bez Baruah (b. 1979) is titled ‘Somewhere in Northeast India Pt-I’ and was created in 2020. The desolation of Chandan Bez Baruah’s landscape speaks volumes. It bears witness to an ecosystem brutalised by rampant urbanisation. To the artist, there’s a close link between the collapsing of natural and political diversities… Read more »
This Bhil painting titled Ploughing (Hal Chalana), is an acrylic on canvas work, made by artist Subhash Amliyar (b.1985) 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. In Subhash Amliyar’s composition, a figure reminiscent of Lord Ganesha is seen… Read more »
This Gond-Pardhan painting (set of 5 panels) titled the ‘Transport Series (Train I-V)’ is an acrylic on canvas work, made by artist Mayank Shyam (b. 1987) Mayank Shyam is from the Gond-Pradhan community in Madhya Pradesh. His art is never purely observational. Behind each painting is a philosophy, message or story. In the Transport series, he draws… Read more »
This Gond-Pardhan painting (set of 5 panels) titled the ‘Transport Series (Plane I-V)’ is an acrylic on canvas work, made by artist Mayank Shyam (b. 1987) Mayank Shyam is from the Gond-Pradhan community in Madhya Pradesh. His art is never purely observational. Behind each painting is a philosophy, message or story. In the Transport series,… Read more »
The Untitled Gond-Pardhan painting is a Gouache and ink on paper work, made by artist Durgabai Vyam (b. 1972) The Mahua is considered the tree of life among the Gond-Pradhans of Madhya Pradesh. It plays a central role in the rituals and ceremonies of the community. Durga Bai Vyam conveys this bond in her Untitled work.… Read more »
The Untitled Gond-Pardhan painting is an acrylic on paper work, made by artist Sukhnandi Vyam (b. 1983) To see the world as it really is, our eyes must first be ‘awakened’ to enlightenment. Sukhnandi Vyam explores this idea using his signature motif of human eyes, which surround the omniscient third eye of Lord Shiva. In the… Read more »
This photograph of the Nautch Bungalow at the Shalimar garden in Kashmir was taken by Burke and Baker in the late 19th century. Mughal king, Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) built the Nautch Bungalow for his beloved wife Nur Jahan in 1616. The garden is one of the few surviving Mughal gardens, based on the Persian ‘charbagh’ style. To… Read more »
This undated work is a still life painting by K H Ara (1914-1985). His artistic expressions were characterised by robust nudes and still lifes, marked by a life-affirming positivity and zeal. He was a self-taught artist who ran away from home to pursue his artistic career in Bombay. Born in 1913 in Andhra Pradesh, KH… Read more »
This detailed map of Nagapattinam (previously spelt, Negapatam) was created by the Office of the Trigonometric Branch, Survey of India, Dehra Dun. The map gives a complete overview of the city, highlighting its water tanks, churches, and temples. Owing to the enormous endeavours of the Survey of India, precision in documenting became more important as mapping… Read more »
This coloured engraving shows an assemblage at the Travancore royal court with James Outram and his staff and Maharaja of Travancore, Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1814-1860). General James Outram was appointed as a political agent in Lucknow in 1854 and became the region’s first commissioner after the annexation of Oudh State. He was a British… Read more »
This photograph of the British Residency in Hyderabad is attributed to Lala Deen Dayal (1844-1905). The British Residency, located on the banks of the Musi river, was built between 1803–1806 as a Palladian palace by Samuel Russell of Madras Engineers. It served as the official residence of the British officers appointed as the Resident at… Read more »
The Untitled Gond-Pardhan painting is an ink-on-paper work by artist Jangarh Singh Shyam (1962-2001). Gond is a celebrated, shared art tradition practised by the Gond-Pradhan community in India. It was first ‘discovered’ by Jagdish Swaminathan, searching for original artworks from Indian tribes in the 1970s. The search ended with him meeting the talented artist Jangarh Singh Shyam,… Read more »
This work from the series ‘Unborn’ by Anju Acharya (b.1992) illustrates a realistically rendered fish on rice paper. The fish appears to be preparing to give birth. The overarching themes in Acharya’s series ‘Unborn’ are birth, death, and decay. She draws on her personal pregnancy experience. She considers how this connects her to all the… Read more »
This photograph of La Martiniere, the oldest college in Lucknow, was taken by photographer Felice Beato (1832-1909) in 1858. General Claude Martine (1735–1800), a Frenchman, constructed La Martinere in 1795. It was intended to be a country home and was given the original name Constantia. The place was later converted into a college and served… Read more »
This shadow puppet of Duryodhana is a Togalu Gombeyatta puppet, a shadow puppet tradition of Karnataka, India. It translates to the dance of leather puppets, with ‘Togalu’ meaning leather, ‘Gombe’ meaning a doll or a puppet and ‘atta’ meaning dance. Duryodhana is an important personality in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is the eldest of… Read more »
This work from the series Unborn by Anju Acharya (b.1992), illustrates a realistically rendered skeleton of a fish. Birth, says Acharya, can only be comprehended entirely when viewed in the context of death. All in between is the process of deterioration. In this piece, she portrays how changes in nature impact the body of living… Read more »
This work illustrates a Fishing Net, also called Paagir, by Warli artist Sadashiv Mashe (b. 1860), son of the celebrated artist and Padma Shri awardee Jivya Soma Mashe (1934-2018). A common subject, this net is portrayed in a twin format, which means it is composed of two paintings of the subject that the artist has… Read more »
Historical Fragments of the Mogul Empire by Robert Orme (1728–1801) was Orme’s last publication. This edition of the book was published posthumously. In this, Orme describes the story of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (1618–1707), and his efforts to conquer the Deccan. He focuses mainly on the expanding Maratha power under Chhatrapati Shivaji (1630-1680) and the onset of British… Read more »
This is an early 19th century coloured aquatint illustrating the gateway of Mughal emperor Akbar‘s (1542-1605) tomb. It was published in ‘A Picturesque Tour Along the Rivers Ganges and Jumna in India’ by Charles Ramus Forrest (1750-1827). Forrest was an infantry officer in India from 1802 to 1827 and was an amateur artist. The drawings… Read more »