Radnorshire Fine Arts Ltd has dated this British Colonial Watercolour Painting to the 19th Century.
Watercolour on thick paper, titled in ink to lower margin, ‘Byragees at Pooree, drawn by W. Tayler’.
The central figure in the composition stands displaying his long nails with his right arm raised. By growing their nails long, these men demonstrate their commitment to a life of asceticism, detachment from the material world, deep in spiritual devotion. The longer the nails, the more profound their renunciation is perceived to be.
Sheet: 11 x 8 3/4 in. (28 x 22.3 cm.)
Condition: There is a small piece of paper missing from the bottom left corner, otherwise the picture is in very good condition retaining strong colours. This item is to be sold in its present condition without a mount or a frame.
William Tayler (1808-1892), British colonial administrator and artist employed by the East India Company in British India, 1829-1867, who became commissioner of Patna in 1855. A gifted amateur artist and caricaturist, he sketched and painted landscapes and scenes of everyday life in India. His Sketches Illustrating the Manners and Customs of the Indians and Anglo Indians: Drawn on Stone from the Original Drawings from Life (London: Thomas McLean, 1842), a rare portfolio of six colour lithographs after his original watercolours, titled: The Young Civilians Toilet, The Young Ladies Toilet, The Breakfast, The Women Grinding at the Mill, The Sunyasees, and The Village Barber. The present watercolour of Byragees, a sect of Hindu fakirs or sadhus, may have been another drawing considered for the project.
Radnorshire Fine Arts Ltd has dated this British Colonial Watercolour Painting to the 19th Century.
We buy and sell paintings, watercolours, prints and drawings from the 17th to the 20th century
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Radnorshire Fine Arts Ltd Profile Page
Holy Men of India Important British Colonial Watercolour by William Tayler C.1830-40
