A Family of Tartars

c. 1885

India, Punjab, probably Lahore, Company School, 19th century

Medium

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Measurements

Overall: 25.3 x 33.8 cm (9 15/16 x 13 5/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Maxeen and John Flower in honor of Dr. Stanislaw Czuma 2011.137

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Location

Not on view

Description

This painting depicts men of Turkic descent migrating into India from western Asia. No longer with the ambition to conquer, like the Turko-Mongol rulers Timur (d. 1405) and Babur (c. 1530), the first Mughal emperor, these migrants are seeking new lands in which to settle as immigrants. The highly detailed subjects are placed against a plain background, as if the figures were designed for objective study and categorization. Indian artists made works such as this for the British in India, who were interested in collecting accurate visual records of flora, fauna, and ethnic groups who inhabited the land they colonized in 1858.