Frank BrangwynEnglish, 1867–1956Cartoon for 'India'
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Cartoon for 'India'” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
This painting is a cartoon for one of a series of panels originally intended to decorate the Royal Gallery in the House of Lords. Known as the ‘British Empire Panels’, they are the work of Sir Frank Brangwyn, one of the foremost artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Brangwyn’s commission, begun in 1924, was to create a decorative scheme which would commemorate the peers and the relatives of peers who died during the First World War. The artist initially began work on designs representing the beginning and end of the war, but quickly decided that a less gloomy way to memorialise the fallen was to celebrate the wealth and beauty of the Empire for which they died. This painting is the cartoon for what became three large panels intended to represent India.
Read on
It depicts a profusion of birds, animals, plants and people thought to be representative of the Indian sub-continent. The final panels were considered to colourful for permanent display in the House of Lords and were eventually acquired by Swansea Council. This cartoon was given to the Museum by the artist in 1932.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- P.27-1932
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
