A Rhinoceros in the Peshwa's Menagerie at Poona

Gangaram Chintaman Tambat was employed by Charles Warre Malet in the 1790s to make drawings in and around his native Pune (formerly Poona) and was described by his patron as “very ingenious.” Although we know very little about his life, he is one of the few Indian artists who can be rescued from the anonymity of the “Company School.” This remarkable drawing of a rhinoceros was made at the end of November 1790, and the annotations, which also capture the animal’s sheer size, record that it was made with “great fidelity” from a specimen in Maratha Peshwa’s menagerie at Pune. The notes also suggest Tambat made a wax model of the rhinoceros, which has sadly been lost.

Gallery label for A Decade of Gifts and Acquisitions (Yale Center for British Art, 2017-06-01 - 2017-08-13)

Credit Line: Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection