A horse and groom

Object Details

• Artist

  Sheikh Muhammad Amir (19th century)

• School/Tradition

  Company school

• Label

  Sheikh Muhammad Amir of Karraya (a suburb of Calcutta), the greatest of the Calcutta Company School painters, specialized in portraying the domestic lives of the British in India. Collected in albums, his paintings record prized possessions and testify to British efforts to recreate their customs in an unfamiliar land.

  The renowned artist's most powerful paintings are those that depict horses and grooms. Although the subject is traditional--court painters had long produced images of favorite horses for Indian royalty--the accomplished shading and textures, accurate anatomy, and cast shadows evince Sheikh Muhammad Amir's mastery of the new style. Here, his subtle balance of emphatic silhouette with exquisite detail results in a refined image with an almost disturbing air of stillness.

• Provenance

  Ca. 1840-?

  Unidentified individual, probably British, probably purchased or commissioned from the artist, Sheikh Muhammad Amir (19th century) in India [1]

  ?-1974

  Ownership information unknown

  1974

  Sale, London, England, Hartnoll & Eyre, Ltd. (active 1968-1979), “Company Paintings India 19th Century,” April 8-May 3, 1974, no. 28 [2]

  1974-1999

  Ownership information unknown

  1999

  Sale, London, England, Christie's, “Visions of India,” October 5, 1999, lot 114 [3]

  From 1999

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchased at October 5, 1999, Christie's Sale, London, England trough Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (active 1990-2013), New York, NY [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See the artist’s signature in the lower right.

  See also Milo Beach, “The Imperial Image: paintings from the Mughal Court” (Washington, DC and Ahmedabad: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Mapin International, Inc., 2012), pp. 191-192, cat. 61. This object was probably produced for a British individual, and it was probably taken to the United Kingdom during the nineteenth century. Sheikh Muhammad Amir produced individual images and sets of pictures both on commission and for the open commercial market.

  [2] See Christie’s, “Visions of India” [auction catalogue], (London, England: Christie’s, October 5, 1999), lot 114, ill. Object is described as “A horse and groom.” Also described as having been exhibited at the Hartnoll & Eyre, Ltd. sale, “Company Paintings India 19th Century,” April 8-May 3, 1974, as no. 28.

  Hartnoll & Eyre, Ltd. (active 1968-1979) in London, England was a partnership of Julian Hartnoll and Giles Eyre. The firm was located at 39 Duke Street and specialized in 19th century European drawings and paintings. Following the retirement of Hartnoll in September 1979, Eyre and Niall Hobhouse formed the partnership, Eyre & Hobhouse Ltd. (active 1979-ca. 1983). Eyre & Hobhouse Ltd. continued at the 39 Duke Street location but specialized in European eighteenth and nineteenth century artists working in the Middle East, India, Africa, Southeast Asia, China, and the former West Indies.

  [3] See note 2. See also invoice number A103731/01 from Christie’s, undated (ca. October 13, 1999), copy in object file.

  [4] See Arthur M. Sackler, “Acquisition Consideration Form,” approved on October 4, 1999, copy in object file.

  See also invoice from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd., New York, NY, dated October 8, 1999, copy in object file.

  Research updated September 20, 2023

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Changing Tastes: Indian Paintings of the 18th and 19th Century (December 17, 2000 to July 15, 2001)

  Company Paintings India 19th Century (April 8 to May 3, 1974)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Hartnoll & Eyre, Ltd. (active 1968-1979)

• Origin

  Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal state, India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1830s, 1840s

• Name

  Hartnoll & Eyre, Ltd.

• Place

  Kolkata Calcutta, West Bengal state, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Animals, Horses

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings