A nautch

This Company painting was made in Delhi around 1820 and depicts a nautch girl accompanied by four male and two female musicians performing on the veranda of a European-style mansion. There is a stained-glass fanlight above the door behind them, and further dancing-girls and attendants on either side. The English word 'nautch' comes from Hindi and Marathi nach (dance) and refers to a performance given by dancing-girls in front of an audience.

'Company paintings' were produced by Indian artists for Europeans living and working in the Indian subcontinent, especially British employees of the East India Company. They represent a fusion of traditional Indian artistic styles with conventions and technical features borrowed from western art. Some Company paintings were specially commissioned, while others were virtually mass-produced and could be purchased in bazaars.