Artwork
A camel with its rider playing kettle drums
A camel with its rider playing kettle drums is a gouache painting by Mazhar Ali Khan. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
A camel with its rider playing kettle drums is a gouache painting created in 1840 by Mazhar Ali Khan, a Delhi-based artist of the late-Mughal era.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a camel in motion, adorned with a red and yellow blanket, colorful headpiece, and tassels, ridden by a man in a white robe and red turban, intently playing a pair of kettle drums.
Technique & Style
Executed in gouache, the work exhibits the Company style, characteristic of its time, blending post-Mughal painting traditions with Western influences, evident in its vibrant yet subtly contrasted color palette against a light beige background.
History & Provenance
Commissioned by Sir Thomas Metcalfe for his Delhi Book, the painting is now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Mazhar Ali Khan was a late-Mughal era, 19th century painter from Delhi, working in the Company style of post-Mughal painting under Western influence.
