View of a Mosque and Gateway at Motijhil
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Watercolor |
| Current Location: | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City |
View of a Mosque and Gateway at Motijhil is a landscape painting created by the Indian painter Sita Ram during the early nineteenth century in Bengal. Sita Ram was well known for painting landscapes, buildings and historically significant places. Sita Ram painted for Francis Rawdon, the Governor-General of Bengal, documenting his travels around India between 1814-1823. This painting shows the 'Sang-i Dalan' palace complex at Motijhil. This was visited by Rawdon and his party during their visit in 1817. This painting has been created using opaque watercolour on paper. It gives a broad view of the palace complex. There is a large arched entrance on the right-hand side of the painting. On the left there is a three-domed mosque with intricate architectural detailing. Both look quite old with signs of damage. The landscape around the complex includes open fields with a few trees dotted around. There are small huts and clusters of people. There are also elephants, horses and cattle. The small people and animals give a sense of scale to the painting and make the buildings appear larger. The painting has been created using pale tones of green, brown, blue and grey to give it a natural feel and make it quite dull. The cloudy sky and dull colours give a sense of calmness. The artist has focused on the age of the buildings and landscape rather than showing it as a magnificent royal building. The main palace has been intentionally excluded from the painting. This painting is significant as it shows the architecture within Bengal during the early nineteenth century. It also displays the Company School style as Indian artists incorporated their traditional painting styles with the increasing interest in landscape and historical painting for Europeans.
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