2009.202.258: The Dog Wallah

Identification and Creation

Object Number

2009.202.258

Title

The Dog Wallah

Other Titles

Alternate Title: A Servant with Four Dogs

Classification

Paintings

Work Type

painting

Date

c. 1825

Places

Creation Place: South Asia, India, Bengal, Calcutta

Culture

Indian

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/216938

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Opaque watercolor on paper

Dimensions

27.6 x 21.5 cm (10 7/8 x 8 7/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

Stuart Cary Welch (by 1983 - 2008,) by descent; to his estate (2008-2009,) gift; to Harvard Art Museum.

Notes:
Object was part of long-term loan to Museum in 1983.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Gift of Edith I. Welch in memory of Stuart Cary Welch

Accession Year

2009

Object Number

2009.202.258

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Commentary

Label text from exhibition “Company to Crown: Perceptions and Reactions in British India,” April 8–October 15, 2011, curated by Maliha Noorani, 2009–11 Norma Jean Calderwood Curatorial Fellow, Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art, Harvard Art Museums:

Doruah (Dog Keeper)
Calcutta, India, c. 1825
Opaque watercolor on paper
Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Gift of Edith I. Welch in memory of Stuart Cary Welch, 2009.202.258

In Hindi, doruah, the caption inscribed beneath this painting, means “dog keeper”—literally, one who holds a leash (dor). Dressed in elegant livery—a tightly bound dhoti and coat—the dog keeper comfortably holds the leashes of three dogs of European origin.
Created in sets, such typologies of occupations offered insight into Indian society and were popular gifts to send home to friends and family in England. In increasing numbers, Company officers engaged local artists to make paintings of their servants and of stock characters outside British cantonments, or military stations.
Indian artists adapted to European tastes in style as well as subject. The pale, translucent washes appear at first glance to mimic British watercolor technique. However, they are built up with small, visible strokes, a feature of traditional Indian miniature painting.

Exhibition History

• Re-View: S231 (Islamic rotation: 7) Company to Crown, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 04/08/2011 - 10/15/2011

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