A woman holding a pitcher. Watercolour.

1 painting : watercolour, with silver paint ; sheet 45.8 x 28.1 cm

Kalighat painting is a school of painting in Kalighat, a small district in Calcutta. It is named after the Hindu goddess Kali. Kalighat painting originated from the folk art tradition of rural Bengal. The Patuas or picture makers had migrated from Bengal in the early nineteenth century. There are a range of subjects from Hindu gods, goddesses and sacred stories to natural history, social types and proverbs. The materials used are pencil, watercolour, indian ink and silver paint

Wellcome Collection 3001941i

Exhibited in “Ayurvedic Man: Encounters with Indian medicine” at Wellcome Collection, 16 November 2017 – 8 April 2018