UK blocks export of unique series of 200-year-old Hindu paintings

London, Nov 22 (PTI) The UK government has placed an export bar this week on a series of 200-year-old bold and colourful paintings that are said to depict one of the most important narratives in Hinduism.

A buyer is being sought to keep the set of 56 paintings, valued at around 280,000 pounds, representing the origins and triumphs of Devi, or the Divine Mother. In the unique series, gold and silver paint are used across the 56 images to portray scenes that range from quiet worship to violent battles.

“This series is not only beautiful, but unique in the United Kingdom,” said Baroness Fiona Twycross, UK Culture Minister.

“With no other near-complete similar narratives existing in our country, it’s vitally important we take the chance now to keep this series in the UK and allow researchers crucial time to unlock its secrets,” she said.

The series is almost completely intact, containing 56 pages out of an original 59 paintings, with inscriptions in Sanskrit and Hindi on the cover sheets describing the subjects of the individual paintings.

They date back to circa 1810 and were painted in the Kangra region of Punjab. The name of the artist or family workshop is yet to be determined, with the paintings said to be in “excellent condition”.

Together, the paintings tell the narrative of a divine battle between good and evil. The series includes a painting showing gods Vishnu and Shiva appealing for help in a scene believed to be unique to this particular series.

“There are no other comparable series surviving in the UK, meaning that this export bar creates an unparalleled opportunity for the study of both the creation and development of such illustrated narratives,” states the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

They have been with Spink and Son, London, since the mid-1980s and were previously in the family collection of Dr Alma Camruddin Latifi, who lived between the UK and India and held administrative, judicial, secretariat and political offices during the colonial era.

The UK government said this week that the paintings are a reminder of the ongoing cultural connection between the UK and Punjab, given that over a million Hindus live in modern Britain. Keeping the series in the UK with the help of the export bar is said to provide an opportunity for Hindu culture to be “both researched and celebrated”.

“In these small, jewel-like paintings, an epic unfolds before our eyes. We see the Devi, the divine mother of Hinduism in her various manifestations, as the terrifying, multi-armed Kali slaying demons in ferocious battles contrasted with scenes of courtly life, worship and serene landscapes populated by a menagerie of animals,” said Pippa Shirley, member of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA).  “They were prompts for storytelling, recitations of Sanskrit hymns, at weddings or family gatherings and are remarkable for their completeness. They throw light on artistic workshop practices and raise questions about social and devotional use and collecting this kind of material in the colonial period.

“They are also a powerful statement of divine female power. With no comparable set in the country, it is important that they remain here so they can be more fully understood and enjoyed by the widest possible audience,” she said.

The RCEWA made its recommendation for an export bar on the basis that the paintings met the criterion for their “outstanding significance” to the study of Pahari painting from the royal courts in the foothills of the Himalayas, their use of devotional practice and their use in comparison with other paintings in the genre; as well as the history of collecting and the historical practices of colonial collecting.

A final decision on the export licence application for the paintings will be deferred until February 20, 2026. At the end of this first deferral period, owners will have a consideration period of 15 days to consider any offers to purchase the paintings at the recommended price of 280,000 pounds plus VAT of 16,000 pounds.  A second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for three months.

The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by the UK’s Arts Council, which advises the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria. PTI AK SKS SKS