37-foot Lucknow scroll debuts at Yale after conservation reveals James Whatman watermark

The Lucknow scroll, a stunning 37-foot-long artwork from early 19th-century India, is finally available for public viewing at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Connecticut, after two years of careful restoration. Created between 1821 and 1826, it’s made up of 33 sheets of laid paper, beautifully decorated with watercolor, gouache, and gold, showcasing a sweeping view of Lucknow across the Gomti River. Due to its fragility, it will be displayed in two sections during the exhibit “Painters, Ports and Profits: Artists and the East India Company, 1750-1850,” which runs until June 21. The restoration revealed a watermark linking it to British trade, and though the artists are unknown, it may have been commissioned for Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah, who gained independence from the Mughal emperor in 1819, featuring his architectural projects. Conservation faced challenges like pigment instability and structural issues. The exhibit invites discussions on empire, trade, and artistic collaboration.