Artwork

Leaf from a Kalighat album: Maid bringing a hookah to a lady (recto); Krishna weighed against precious objects(?) (verso)

Leaf from a Kalighat album: Maid bringing a hookah to a lady (recto); Krishna weighed against precious objects(?) (verso) is an unspecified painting by the Patna School of Painting artist Unknown. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This painting is a leaf from a Kalighat album, created in 19th-century Kolkata by street artists near the Kalighat temple.

About this work

Overview

This painting is a leaf from a Kalighat album, created in 19th-century Kolkata by street artists near the Kalighat temple. It features a scene on one side and a different image on the reverse.

Subject & Meaning

The recto depicts a maid in a green sari presenting a hookah to a seated woman in red, likely a high-society courtesan or prostitute. The scene may satirize the adoption of British customs by newly affluent Bengali men and their companions.

Technique & Style

The painting is characterized by bold lines and flat, unshaded colors, creating clear shapes and forms. The style is typical of Kalighat paintings, which often used satire and caricature to comment on contemporary society.

Context

Kalighat paintings were produced in a context of cultural exchange and social change, as British influence shaped the lives of Indians in Kolkata. The artists used their work to critique the social aspirations and behaviors of their contemporaries.