A set of twelve botanical watercolours mid 20th century, by Thakur Ganga Singh

This remarkable collection of botanical watercolours is originally from the collection of the Maharajah of Patiala.  Of great diversity, these charming drawings were made by Thakur Ganga Singh between 1942-1962.  They are especially fascinating in that they continue a notable tradition of flower painting which dates back at least as far as 1620 when the Mogul ruler Jahangir commissioned a detailed study of the botany which so delighted him on visiting Kashmir in springtime.  The emperor and his local artists were greatly influenced by European herbals and woodcut illustrations of the time and these led to a certain formality and accuracy in Indian botanical representation alongside the already established naturalistic observation of plants that had come to India from Persia.  From this time onwards, flower ornament became a central feature of Indian decoration: in architecture, carpets, other textiles and thus also in Indian miniatures and book decoration.

These botanical drawings are in a delightfully free style but nonetheless continue the tradition in combining elegant decoration with botanical accuracy.  The studies were commissioned by His Highness Maharajah Yadhavindra Singh of Patiala, also a keen botanist, who from the 1920's began to collect the flora of the Simla Hills with the intention of writing a book on the subject.

Ganga Singh was engaged by the Maharajah in 1942 to reproduce his collected flora in watercolour drawings.  He became a permanent member of His Highness' staff and painted over 400 watercolours over a period of twenty years.  Singh died in 1971, followed in 1972 by the Maharajah who was not able to complete his book although the research and the paintings were complete.  His son, the present Maharajah, took over the task and has recently completed the work of cataloguing the collection in preparation for the publication of the book in the future.

Ganga Singh began his career as an artist at the Forest Research Institute in Dehra Dun, travelling to England in 1931 to train at the Slade in London.  Later in life he was awarded the title of 'Rai Sahib' for his outstanding contributions in the field of fine arts.