Artwork
Weaving and Spinning
Weaving and Spinning is an unspecified painting by the Patna School of Painting artist Kehar Singh. It dates from 1860 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The canvas portrays two Indian laborers seated on the ground, engaged in the manual processes of cotton spinning and weaving beneath a makeshift shelter of intertwined sticks. Their bare feet and rudimentary tools emphasize the modest conditions of textile production in the subcontinent during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Subject & Meaning
The work foregrounds the everyday reality of weavers and spinners whose labor supplied the bulk of India’s exportable cotton. By focusing on simple looms fashioned from raw branches, the artist underscores the contrast between indigenous craft practices and the industrial scale of British textile factories.
Technique & Style
Rendered in a straightforward, documentary style, the painting employs clear line work and muted coloration to convey factual detail rather than decorative flourish. Inscriptions placed at the top identify the painter and label the depicted occupations, functioning as a visual caption within the composition.
History & Provenance
Created for officials of the British East India Company, the piece served as a visual report on the conditions of Indian textile workers under company oversight. It reflects the Company’s interest in documenting the sources of its lucrative cotton trade, and it remains associated with the “company school” of colonial-era art.
Artist & collection
