Two dogs in the compound of a Calcutta house

The artwork Two Dogs in the Compound of a Calcutta House was painted by Shaikh Muhammad Amir of Karraya who was a well-known Company School artist and worked in Calcutta during the nineteenth century. The painting was created around 1845 and shows two dogs sitting in the compound of a house. The dog on the left is named General that is a Feathered Saluki while the dog on the right is Aiyar that is a Smooth Saluki. What makes this artwork interesting is how the two dogs are shown together in the same setting with each having its own appearance. The dogs are placed in the foreground while the background shows an open compound with a meadow and distant trees. The composition gives a glimpse of the surroundings of a British household in Calcutta during that period. Shaikh Muhammad Amir was known for painting houses, servants, animals and everyday life of British residents in Calcutta. His paintings were combination of Indian artistic traditions with European techniques especially in the use of perspective, shading and realistic details. This can also be observed in the way the dogs and their surroundings are presented in the artwork. The painting was made using watercolor on paper and in present a part of the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection in London. Through this artwork Amir captured not only the appearance of the two dogs but also a small part of domestic life in 19th century Calcutta. The painting was part of a larger set created for a British resident in Calcutta, which included scenes of the house, servants and pets. During this period the British residents in Calcutta often asked local artists to paint their houses, surroundings and daily life and the paintings were named as Company paintings. This artwork therefore gives a glimpse of how British households lived and the pets they kept during the nineteenth century.