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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2006.16.5
Title
“Pan”, folio from the album Fishes of India
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
c. 1810
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Bengal
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/4855

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Watercolor and gouache on Whatman paper; Company School
Dimensions
28.58 x 48.26 cm (11 1/4 x 19 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: Language: English
    Script:
    32/31
    Pan (in pencil)
    ? (in ink)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Victoria S. Munroe
Accession Year
2006
Object Number
2006.16.5
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The fish is painted in the center of the page, and from a bird’s-eye view. It is teardrop shaped, with a round head and tapering tail. The fish has two round eyes and a curved, triangular snout. It has a continuous row of lateral fins that extend the entire length of the body and taper into the tail. It is light brown in color with some mottling.

The page has inscriptions in ink and pencil the lower third of the composition. One inscription identifies the fish as “Pan”, which most likely is referring to Brachirus pan, a type of sole native to the Indo-Pacific.

This work falls into the genre of natural history documentation, an important enterprise undertaken by many European patrons during their time in India. This genre proliferated between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, and demonstrate the artist's intention of making quick studies from life. Individual paintings were collected to form an album that documented a variety of animals and plants, thus acting, in a way, as a field guide. Company School.

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu