1908

Indian Sculpture and Painting

USD 150

An influential work on Indian sculpture and painting.

Indian Sculpture and Painting is a seminal art history text by Ernest Binfield Havell (E. B. Havell), published as a first edition in 1908. This groundbreaking volume played a pivotal role in shifting global perspectives on Indian art, aggressively challenging Western prejudices of the colonial era and arguing for the spiritual and artistic autonomy of Indian masterpieces.

Havell’s 1908 first edition is widely considered a manifesto for the Swadeshi art movement and a catalyst for the Bengal School of Art. Alongside colleagues like Abanindranath Tagore, Havell used this text to urge Indian artists to look to their own heritage rather than Western academic traditions. The magnificent plates in this first edition served as visual evidence to convince an international audience of India’s sophisticated aesthetic legacy. Today, it stands as a cornerstone text for collectors, bibliophiles, and historians specializing in Orientalism, South Asian art history, and the cultural dimensions of Indian nationalism.

Edition

First edition

Provenance

Early ownership inscriptions; further provenance details available on request.

Condition

Very good; see photographs.

Status

Available