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It was commonly held that the two distinguished
artists (Robert Home and Arthur William Davis) of that era and
other unknown artists from Bengal were associated with the work
referred to in Fleming's Album. Commissioning local artists to
paint natural history in exact detail, now popularly known as
Company School, soon became a favourite pastime of local British
residents in the 19th century Calcutta. Fleming's Album is surely
the most authentic and widely known collection among the Company
drawings. More so, as the work (displayed here) was personally
watched by John Fleming and his scientific knowledge was merged
with the artistic nuances of Robert Home and Arthur William Davis.
The 12 water colours on paper that are
displayed here focus on birds (presumably, they were watched
in south and south-east Asia as well as in East Asia). These
are from the album of John Fleming, a medical practitioner attached
to Bengal Medical Service during the Governor- Generalship of
Lord Merquis Wellesley. Mr. Fleming became the President of Bengal
Medical Service in 1800 and was associated with the Asiatic Society.
He returned to England in 1811. Fleming's research in India was
finally published with the title -- Catalogue of Indian Plants
and Drugs, subsequently translated into Dutch and German.
The John Fleming's Album was donated
to Victoria Memorial by late Maharaja P.C. Tagore, way back in
1934. VM remains ever grateful to the benefactor. Moreover, these
12 pictures were published in the form of calendar for millennium
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