San Diego Museum of Art - Fruit and leaves of one of the Bignoniaceae

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Fruit and leaves of one of the Bignoniaceae

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Fruit and leaves of one of the Bignoniaceae

Creation date: 1785-1789

Creation place: India

Other Information

Type: Watercolor Painting

Medium and Support: Opaque watercolor on paper

Credit Line: Edwin Binney 3rd Collection

Accession Number: 1990.1366

State/Province: West Bengal

Dimensions: 25 29/32 in. x 16 5/8 in. (65.8 cm x 42.2 cm)

Provenance

Mrs. S. Richardson and Mrs. S. M. Norman, London, England ( - July 13, 1972)

James Nathaniel Rind, London, England (ca. 1785 - 1814)

Hartnoll and Eyre, London, England (July 13, 1971 - April 12, 1972)

Sotheby's, London, England (July 13, 1971 - July 13, 1971)

Edwin Binney 3rd, San Diego, California (April 12, 1972 - August 27, 1990)

San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California (August 27, 1990 - )

Label Copy

In the Company Manner (2009), SDMA Gallery Rotation
Directors of the East India Company had utilitarian interests in becoming familiar with South Asian plants. They benefited from knowing of their medicinal properties and potential commercial uses. The interest in collecting both live specimens and paintings of native flora was, therefore, critical to Company personnel. They aimed to be as accurate and thorough as possible in their investigations and, consequently, relied on talents of Indian artists without whom not nearly as many species would have been recorded. Artists from India were praised for their fidelity to nature and accuracy in delineation of the plants.

The bignoniaceae, sometimes called the Indian cork tree, is a medicinal plant with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properites. It grows throughout the Indian subcontinent and continues to be in high demand in the pharmeceutical industry.

The breadfruit tree, a relative of the mulberry, is so named, because when its fruit is baked it is said to taste like bread. This painting of the breadfuit was produced in Penang, a city of the Malay peninsula in Southeast Asia, which the Company acquired in 1786 as an extension of its mercantile activities in India and because of its strategic naval position.
Last Updated: 9/5/2017

Exhibition

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

In the Company Manner: Indian-British Painting ca. 1770-1890 (Binney Rotation) , 3/28/2009 - 9/27/2009

Into India: South Asian Paintings from The San Diego Museum of Art San Diego Museum of Art , 2/28/2012 - 5/27/2012

Bibliography

This object has the following bibliographic references:

Catalogue of Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, Sotheby & Co.. London, England, July 13, 1971
Page Number: 10 Lot no. 40

Dr. Sonya Quintanilla and Patrick Coleman. Visiones de la India Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Madrid, 2012
Page Number: 220, 294, Figure Number: cat. 98, p. 221

Dr. Sonya Quintanilla and Patrick Coleman. Visiones de la India (Mexico) Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia. Mexico , 2013
Page Number: 157, Figure Number: cat. 96, p. 164

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