Chirasree Majumdar

"Hanging Scroll Painting 'Monkeys by a Stream'" is a distinctive piece of masterpiece painting in Japan during the 18th century, painted by Mori Sosen who was known to be the greatest animal painter of Edo period. This vertically oriented painting illustrates two Japanese macaques who…

"The Page from a Panj Ganj" manuscript folio displays an excellent fusion of the Persian poetry, exquisite calligraphy, and ornamental illumination. The layout of this artwork consists of several columns with rows of beautiful calligraphic text in Nasta'liq script on dark ink. This writing is…

One of the fascinating works of art in the Smithsonian Institution collections is "The Madonna and Child." It is an exquisite 17th century Mughal painting showing the fascinating interaction of cultures that takes place between Christian imagery and Islamic court arts. The focal composition of…

The miniature painting, "Raj Singh on a Terrace Enjoying a View of Royal Barges and Military Formations," portrays a royal scene from the early 18th century in the kingdom of Mewar, Rajasthan. The scene features a majestic Maharana Raj Singh II standing majestically on a…

The small-size miniature painting titled "A man kneeling before an ascetic accompanied by a dog" represents a peaceful scene from the world of spirituality based on the tradition of Islamic/Sufi classical stories. The composition presents an image of a graceful ascetic who stands bearded and…

Arjuna’s burning of the dead bodies following the battle between the Andhakas and Yadavas at Prabhasa, Gujarat coast is a very intricate painting from the historical period. It is one of the 16th-century Mughal miniature paintings that can be found in the archives of the…

The modern Indian portrait Binodini is a widely acknowledged masterpiece created by the eminent 20th century artist Ramkinkar Baij. Best known for his innovative modernist sculptures, Baij showcases his remarkable ability to manipulate textures on canvas through his portrayal of a captivating close-up of a…

This exquisite watercolor painting titled "Roomee Durwaza and Entrance to the Emambarra at Lucknow" is a remarkable architectural depiction by the renowned Indian painter Sita Ram. The work was completed during the artist’s travels with Governor-General Lord Moira. The painting depicts a vast panoramic view…

The Southern Song dynasty hanging scroll, Homeward Oxherds in Wind and Rain, is an outstanding ink and color painting by the famous court painter Li Di. The work of art depicts two young oxherds struggling with the impending storm while riding their water buffaloes. The…

Hwamei on Terminalia Branch is a spectacular nature illustration from the late 18th century that was produced for the British East India Company by an unknown Chinese artist. This beautiful watercolor and gouache painting on paper shows an elegant Hwamei bird sitting on a thin…

The formal portrait of The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan made at the hands of Mihr Ali is an extraordinary oil painting created in the 19th century that combines elements of the Persian court style of painting with the classical European academic style of representation. The…

Samarendranath Gupta's In Quest of the Beloved is an extraordinary piece of art that symbolizes the expressive Bengal School of painting. Here, the artist does a splendid job of portraying a solitary female figure enveloping herself in a dark brown and flowing shawl which is…

Overgrown Pond by Vasily Polenov is an 1890 painting, which displays a ruined house with overgrown columns in the center of the painting. To depict the image fully, the artist uses a deep forest covered with wild grass, flowers, many birches that take up the…

The Indian miniature painting titled "Baz Bahadur and Rupmati Falconry" is a renowned masterpiece painted by Mir Kalan Khan, an extremely talented artist of the 18th century. The masterpiece was created in a highly refined style of Mughal painting from the province. The painting presents…

In The Flagellation, the classical religious painting, the biblical Passion of Christ is illustrated through the image of the crucified Christ who is tied to a column in the center and is being flagellated brutally. In the center, Christ is depicted as stooping under the…

“To the Temple” is one of the best traditional Indian realistic paintings by the famous Indian painter, Raja Ravi Varma. “To the Temple” portrays the image of a young girl in traditional white clothing, carrying a heavy water jar strapped on her waist and a…

Jiangfan Louge Tu is a piece of traditional Chinese landscape art dated back to the Tang dynasty. It has been attributed to Li Sixun who is an ancient Chinese artist. It tells a story while maintaining a fine balance between the artificiality of the man…

It is nearly impossible to measure the charms of traditional Chinese landscape paintings unless it is created by Mi Youren who lived during the time of the Southern Song dynasty. His painting is called “The Wonderful View of Xiao and Xiang Rivers.” It gives a…

The Mughal miniature painting named “Dancers from Malwa perform before Akbar” reconstructs a festive event in a court and demonstrates many details of painting. The author of the miniature uses the superimposed view perspective as a typical Mughal technique. The image represents Akbar emperor in…

This piece is one of the noteworthy portraits of Dr. Abanindranath Tagore, who was a revered artist from India and an important figure in the development of the Bengal School of Art. This piece is a fine example of a meticulous line drawing that has…

This Mughal miniature painting is from around the year 1590, showing a significant historical occurrence referred to in the Baburnama. The event illustrates the moment when Mohammed Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, receives the submission of Baqi Chaghaniani in a huge military camp…

The artwork "Piper o Piprir Katha" is a beautiful, vintage ink drawing by Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury that depicts a delightful event from his story. It has a blank, aged paper background, showing a pair of lively and lively ants stuck in shallow water. The ants…

Painted in 1737 by Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, "Saint Margaret of Cortona" is an amazing Italian Rococo painting. This oil painting shows the saint of the 13th century being extremely emotional, both ecstatic and calm at the same time. The artist uses chiaroscuro in a brilliant…

The Childhood of Timur is a Mughal miniatures created during the time of Emperor Akbar around the year 1580. The painting is credited to the artists Daswanth and Jagjiwan Kalan, and is housed in Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library located in Patna. This painting represents…

Fattu’s Churning of the Ocean was painted in 1598–99 for the Persian version of Mahabharata, called Razmnama. It represents the famous scene when the gods and asuras jointly churn the Ocean of Milk. This miniature painting is organized around Mount Mandara that is used as…

The Youth Hits the Goal by Farrukh Chela is an outstanding exemplar of the Indian miniature genre that fuses storytelling, movement and supreme finesse of making the artwork live. According to the creator's intention, this is a surprising archery shoot of the young man where…

The oil on canvas, Lane's Brace's Rock, Eastern Point, Gloucester, circa 1864- is a depiction of a serene location with Brace's Rock being located at the center of the scene. Brace's Rock is a famous land form in Brace's cove in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The painting…

'Preparing for Christmas' painted by Francis William Edwards perfectly reflects the domestic atmosphere at Christmas time. In this work, the artist depicted the domestic preparations performed by the characters in their anticipation of the holiday. The scene is full of warmth, domestic life and pleasant…

Rabindranath Tagore's Piyali is a delicate pen-and-ink portrait made in 1940. Piyali encapsulates the artist's typical spirit during the later period of his work. This picture conveys the head and the face of a female subject using not much complex lines but expressive ones. Tagore…

The painting "slave market" depicts a nude woman in the centre and a man on the right surrounded by men who are examining her as prospective slave owners. The painter, Jean-Léon Gérôme, used realism and painted all the minute details starting from the attires to…