A P AIR O F 1 9 T H C E N T U R Y C O M P A N Y P AI N TI N G S F RO M P AT N A AT T H E N ATIO N AL G ALL E R Y O F V I C TORIA - TAASA Review June 2013

A P AIR O F 1 9 T H C E N T U R Y C O M P A N Y P AI N TI N G S F RO M P AT N A AT T H E N ATIO N AL G ALL E R Y O F V I C TORIA – TAASA Review June 2013

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This article was originally found in the June 2013 edition of TAASA Review (Volume 22, Issue 2, Page 18).

The full article is available for free to TAASA Members.

Carol Cains T he term Company painting' refers to a genre of Indian paintingproduced for Europeans and …heavily influenced by European taste’ (Archer 1992: 11) and the style or school was named after the various European trade companies operating in Asia from the 17th to the mid-19th centuries.

The British were the main patrons of this style of painting, by virtue of their pervasive presence in India during the period of the English and British East India Companies (1600-1857) after which time this style of painting was superseded by photography. Drawn to India in the 17th century by the promise of vast riches to be acquired through trade, the British founded the English East India Company in 1600.

Its creation, and that of the Dutch, French, Danish and Swedish East India Companies was inspired by the financial success of Portuguese trade in Asia during the 16th century...