18th & 19th Century Indian And French Natural History Drawings

From April 17 through May 18, 2009, The Drawing Room in East Hampton is pleased to present an exhibition of 18th & 19th century Indian and French drawings brings together meticulously rendered studies of insects, eggs, fish and other and sea life created before the invention of photography took over the task of documenting the natural world. Highlights include early 19th century, life-size studies of a tropical fish and an octopus by Indian artists trained in the Mughal court tradition of miniature painting who were commissioned by British trading company officials during the colonial period. A related drawing from France depicts a group of iridescent wasps by Jean-Gabriele Prêtre (1775 - c. 1830), who served as the official painter of the Museum of Natural History and was hired as a naturalist on the Napoleonic expeditions to record newly collected species in Egypt. Whether made for scientific study or to record personal or public natural history collections, these refined drawings have both historic interest and fresh appeal to the contemporary eye.

See below for full press release and selected works.