Contents: Preface and acknowledgements. 1. Introduction. 2. Advent of company painting. 3. True to life portraits. 4. Trades and occupations. 5. Festivals and ceremonies. 6. Dance and music. 7. Landscape and monuments. 8. Flora and fauna. 9. Last phase. Appendix. Select bibliography. Picture credits.

"Pran Nevile's book Marvels of Indian Painting is a pioneering effort to explore and study the creative genius of those forgotten Indian artists who produced remarkable paintings for their British patrons. Defined as the 'Company School' art, these beautiful pictures reveal a lively fusion of eastern warmth with western objectivity. The author highlights how western ideas and artistic techniques were absorbed in the Indian tradition by these artists without losing the essential Indianness.

Sumptuously illustrated with reproductions of the finest company school paintings assembled for the first time from the collections of museums and libraries all over the world, Marvels of Indian Painting presents a visual treat and also provides rare glimpses of the Indian social and cultural scene of the period . The author has diligently tried to blend the visual images with his vibrant narrative to underline the importance of company school painting in the Indian art scene as the last original contribution by Indian artists." (jacket)