“Sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) on a custard apple branch (Annona reticulata)” is a naturalistic work of Company Painting by the esteemed artist Shaikh Zainuddin. The work displays a white cockatoo with a sulphur yellow crest, perched on a branch of a custard apple tree, bearing the fruit. The work is a unique display that showcases two items not native to South Asia, but culturally imported to the region. The cockatoo is an import from Australia or New Guinea, while the custard apple originates in the West Indies. The two were likely brought to the area by Mary Impey, with the former likely brought to India by mariners and traders, and the latter possibly brought over by Lady Impey for her botanical study. The work is extremely well done. The painting and shading of the cockatoo, the well portrayed leaves, and the fullness of the custard apple, all work together to create an incredibly well made composition.
The work was done by Shaikh Zainuddin, an artist who was known for his Naturalist art of Flora and Fauna. Zainuddin was originally from Patna, and was brought to Calcutta by Mary Impey, the natural historian and wife of Elijah Impey, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at Calcutta. He was brought alongside 2 other painters in order to paint Mary Impey’s menagerie of Indian and South East Asian birds and animals, and became the foremost painter in their retinue.
This decorative painting offers a scientific and observational style which celebrates natural history. The inclusion of aspects from different countries and cultures, such as the bird, native to Australia, and the custard apple, native to the Americas, shows a global network of trade the empire in the 18th century. The painting depicts stillness and clarity, isolating the exotic subject in fine detail to study.
