lectures

Flora Indica: Recovering the lost histories of Indian botanical art

SOAS

December 3

Hybrid: SOAS Paul Webley Building and Zoom

Event linkcalender

In the next Indian Art Circle lecture, Dr Henry Noltie (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh) discusses an exhibition of botanical drawings by Indian artists currently on show at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.

In the next Indian Art Circle lecture, Dr Henry Noltie (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh) discusses an exhibition of botanical drawings by Indian artists currently on show at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.

The exhibition Flora Indica: Recovering the lost histories of Indian botanical art at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (11 October 2025 to 12 April 2026) is the first-ever public display of 52 rediscovered botanical illustrations by Indian artists commissioned by British botanists between 1790 and 1850. 

These exquisite watercolours, hidden for over a century, shed light on the contribution of Indian artists in shaping botanical knowledge. Co-curated by Dr Henry Noltie and Dr Sita Reddy, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the environments where these master artists worked, spanning present-day India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

This event will run hybrid on campus and online.  To join on Zoom, contact Dr Mehreen Chida-Razvi: indianartcircle.london@gmail.com

Image: Henry Noltie / RBG Kew