Indian Art Vintage Print Poster Antique Sheikh Zain al-Din Painting Nature Orchid Moth Birds Butterflies Georgian Era Victorian Beautiful A3

GEORGIAN ERA PAINITNG
ART PRINT

"An Orange-Headed Ground Thrush and a Death's-Head Moth on a Purple Ebony Orchid Branch", by Sheikh Zain al-Din (Sheikh Zainuddin), 1778.

Sheikh Zain al-Din was an 18th-century Bengali Muslim artist who worked in the "Company style" (kampani kalam) painting technique, which blends traditional elements from Rajput and Mughal painting with a more Western perspective and themes. This painting style aimed to appeal to European (especially British) patrons, and since many of these patrons worked for various East India companies, the painting style became associated with the name. However, it was also used for paintings produced for local rulers and other Indian patrons. The subject matter often focused on documentary scenes from everyday life, festivals, sights, and the plants and animals of the subcontinent.

This particular work comes from a collection commissioned by the Chief Justice of Bengal, Sir Elijah Impey, and his wife, Lady Mary. The inscriptions visible at the lower left bear Shaikh Zain al-Din's signature in Persian, along with the inscription "In the Collection of Lady Impey in Calcutta" in English.

In the painting, a bird is delicately perched on a branch of the Bauhinia purpurea, known as the "orchid tree," while a moth rests gently on one of the lush lilac flowers, sipping its nectar. There's something extraordinarily satisfying in the precision of the lines and the meticulous details of this work. It is simultaneously highly stylized and very organic. Zain al-Din is believed to have painted from life, yet the absence of landscape and ground color hints at the tradition of European natural history paintings. This artwork is beautifully observed and executed with utmost clarity and care.

★ Respectfully and lovingly restored and enhanced digitally, to remove the non-artistic blemishes and colour fading ♡

★ A3 print, 297mm x 420mm. (Interior images are shown for styling and illustrative purposes only, not to be used as a precise scale guide. There will be no watermarks on the actual print.)

★ Printed in England on a 350gsm Eucalyptus paper, made from eucalyptus pulp from sustainable sources. It is brilliant white and smooth and Eco printed with high pigment environmentally-friendly toners.

★ Supplied unframed, carefully rolled and packed with tissue paper in a strong cardboard tube for safe transit.

FRAMED / READY-TO-HANG PRINT ALSO AVAILABLE here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1533170208

MATCHING PRINT AVAILABLE here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1046060213

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