Artwork
A parrot
A parrot is a paint painting by the Patna School of Painting artist Hulas Lal. It dates from 1870 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Created circa 1870, this small oil painting depicts a vivid green parrot perched on a thin branch against an unadorned backdrop.
About this work
This painting shows a bright green parrot perched on a branch. Its feathers pop against a plain background. The artist used fine brushwork to bring the bird to life.
Painted around 1870, this is a Company School piece. British officials in India often commissioned these works. The artist likely worked in Patna.
See more Company paintings at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
Created circa 1870, this small oil painting depicts a vivid green parrot perched on a thin branch against an unadorned backdrop. The bird’s plumage is rendered in striking contrast, drawing immediate attention to its form and colour. The work exemplifies the genre of Indian Company paintings, a style produced for colonial patrons during the nineteenth century.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a single parrot, a common motif in colonial natural history illustration, symbolising exotic fauna of the subcontinent. By isolating the bird on a neutral field, the artist emphasizes its anatomical details and vivid hue, inviting close observation rather than narrative storytelling.
Technique & Style
Fine, controlled brushstrokes articulate the texture of the feathers, while a limited palette keeps the focus on the bird’s emerald tones. The background’s flatness reflects the academic precision favored by Company artists, who blended Indian draftsmanship with European conventions of scientific illustration.
History & Provenance
Attributed to Bahadur Lal II, an artist active in Patna during the late nineteenth century, the painting likely originated from a commission by a British official or collector stationed in India. Such works were commonly exchanged between colonial administrators and local workshops, forming part of the visual record of the British Raj.
Context
Company paintings emerged as a response to the demand of the East India Company and its officials for visual documentation of Indian flora, fauna, and daily life. Artists like Bahadur Lal II operated within a hybrid artistic environment, merging traditional Indian techniques with the expectations of European patrons.
Artist & collection
Artist
A parrot perched on a branch and a wrestling scene in muted blues and ochres belong to the small, unsigned body of work called “Company paintings.” Made by Indian artists under British rule, these lively pictures show local life for…
