India on Transferware: Objects of Fascination
VIEW EVENT DETAILSIn the early nineteenth century, ‘Transferware’, that is, china with engravings of popular touristic or exotic scenes ‘transferred’ on to its surface, and colored with cobalt, enjoyed considerable popularity in the European and North American markets. Indian scenery, often falling within the rubric of ‘Oriental Scenery’ or, ‘Asiatic Scenery’, became the subject of such ‘Transferware’, produced by manufactures like Spode, Rogers, Davenport and Copeland, among others. The inspiration for the scenes on transferware with Indian subjects mainly came from the aquatints and drawings of Englishmen in India, like ‘Oriental Scenery’ by Thomas and William Daniell, ‘A Picturesque Tour along the River Ganges and Jumna in India’ by Lieut. Charles Ramus Forrest, published in the early 1800s. These images that depicted exotic flora and fauna were made in blue and white but also in reds and browns, presenting works of considerable beauty and artistic excellence.
In association with CSMVS and The Museum Society, join us as Ambassador Nirupama Rao, Former Ambassador of India to the United States of America speaks of the historic importance of these artistic works, depicting a bygone era, detailing the fascination with which India was regarded by Western audiences in the early nineteenth century. Ambassador Nirupama Rao, is a former Foreign Secretary of India (2009-2011). Her professional life from 1973 to 2013 was spent in the practice of diplomacy in the service of the Government of India as a member of the prestigious Indian Foreign Service. Ambassador Rao was the first woman spokesperson of the Indian foreign office and also the first Indian woman to be High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the first Indian woman Ambassador to China. She is also the longest serving Indian woman Foreign Secretary completing a full tenure of two years from 2009 to 2011. She is a published author of a book of poems, “Rain Rising” in English. In her retirement, Ambassador Rao has been working on a book on India-China relations. She was a Fellow at Brown University in the United States, during 2014. She is currently a Jawaharlal Nehru Fellow at the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, New Delhi.
This programme is part of our AsiaLens series, which presents an array of perspectives on the visual and performing arts of modern Asia, offering a vibrant and nuanced view across the continent. Previous events under this series include a Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the CSMVS Conservation Centre with Anupam Sah, a lecture with Dr. Sugata Bose on the paintings of Rabindranath Tagore and Commerce and Culture from Canton to Bombay.
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