Literature: W. E. Gladstone Solomon, “The Bombay Revival of Indian Art” (A descriptive account of the Indian Room constructed and decorated by the Staff and Students of the School of Art), c. 1926/27.

Provenance: Toynbee-Clarke Interiors Ltd., London (1969).

This gigantic work was conceived and executed under the guidance of W. E. Gladstone Solomon, Director at the Sir J. J. School of Art of Bombay, by students at the School of Art of Bombay. The school opened in 1857 through the help of a donation by businessman and philanthropist Jamsetji Jeejeebhai (1783–1859). Today the school is the oldest art institution in the city and a branch of University of Mumbai.

The following artist names are related to the work, but apparently it is not known, who painted what: Mr A. A. Bhonsule, Mr S. Fernandiz, Mr G. H. Nagarkar, Mr N. L. Joshi, Mr A. S. Khan, Mr A. Kampadalli, Mr B. A. Apte and Mr B. Hatulkar, who as the only one is known to have designed and painted the four triangles.

The painted ceiling and frieze was especially tailored for The Indian Room at The British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, Middlesex in 1924. The Indian Room as a whole was constructed and decorated by the students of the School of Art of Bombay. The room measured 18 feet square and 10 feet high, it was constructed of Malabar teak and all departments of the School contributed: painters, potters, silversmiths, carpet-weavers, wood-carvers etc. The Indian Room took 9 months to create and the first thing to attract the attention of the visitor must have been the impressive ceiling that is now being offered for sale.

The British Empire Exhibition of 1924 and 1925 was a colonial exhibition, a type of international exhibition intended to boost trade and bolster popular support for the various colonial empires during the New Imperialism period, which started in the 1880ies.