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River Eel
Indian
Colonial period
about 1803
Object Place: Probably Calcutta, Bengal, Eastern India
Medium/Technique
Opaque watercolor and metallic pigments on European paper
Dimensions
50.2 x 67.0 cm (19 3/4 x 26 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Keith McLeod Fund
Accession Number2002.40
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia, Prints and Drawings
ClassificationsDrawings / Watercolors
The unknown Indian artist who painted a river eel for his British patron, possibly the Marquis Wellesley, Governor-General of Bengal from 1797–1805, rendered its long dorsal fin and scale-less body with exquisite precision. Capturing detail was always critical to Indian painting, but its traditional purpose of setting mood shifted with the rise of British patronage and the demand for documentation of India’s people, creatures, and lands.
Provenance2002, sold by Victoria Munroe, Boston, to the MFA. (Accession date: March 27, 2002)