European Paintings of 17th Cent. India

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Paintings of India in the 1700's and early 1800's by European artists

and Indians painting in the European style

Ever wonder what India looked like before the industrial revolution

of the 19th century?

 

http://varnashrama-maui.com/paintings.html

 

The painting style of India was not a realistic style using the

European style of realism. That is the style where the artist

attempts to draw or paint something exactly as it looks like. Instead

the Indian artists didn't use perspective and painted 2 dimensional

art not meant to look realistic. From their paintings we don't really

get to see what India really looked like, they were stylists, not

realists.

 

Fortunately many Europeans artists travelled all over India and

painted what they saw. Also at that time there were Indian artists

who began to use the European style of realism in their paintings as

well.

 

The following works are mostly from the 1700's and a few in the early

1800's. We can get a glimpse of what India really looked like before

India became changed by the forces of Industry. These are taken from

the British Library collection. Although due to the effects of aging

the color has faded a bit on all the works. So I enhanced the color

to try and make them look like the way they were originally seen. The

comments are from them. Their India collection is online and you can

visit them at Oriental and India Office Collection.

 

They have over 14,000 paintings and drawings of temples, cities,

landscapes and people, from all over India and Nepal from the same

time period as the paintings below. Almost all are painted and drawn

using the western realism technique.

 

Click on the paintings below to see the large version. I will be

adding more paintings as time goes on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watercolour of the Madan Mohan temple at Brindaban from 'Views by

Seeta Ram from Tughlikabad to Secundra Vol. VIII' produced for Lord

Moira, afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1814-

15. Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal and the

Commander-in-Chief (r.1813-23), was accompanied by artist Sita Ram

(flourished c.1810-22) to illustrate his journey from Calcutta to

Delhi between 1814-15.

 

 

 

Oil painting on paper by Marianne North of Vrindavan, dated 2

November 1878. Marianne North visited India in 1877-79 and completed

over 200 paintings whilst there.

In her autobiography, 'Recollections of a happy life' of 1892,

Marianne North wrote, "The temples of Brindaban were magnificent,-

every variety of architecture and all sorts of fanciful styles

surrounding a poor mud village. The right bank of the Jumna was lined

with marble steps and balconies hanging over its waters. Many of the

buildings were more like palaces than temples; others mere toy things

with baby gardens- holy plants...Pilgrims were going in an endless

procession from shrine to shrine, having fifteen miles to walk to

visit all their holy places about Brindaban."

 

 

 

 

Watercolour of Gobind Deo temple at Brindaban from 'Views by Seeta

Ram from Tughlikabad to Secundra Vol. VIII' produced for Lord Moira,

afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1814-15.

Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal and the

Commander-in-Chief (r.1813-23), was accompanied by artist Sita Ram

(flourished c.1810-22) to illustrate his journey from Calcutta to

Delhi between 1814-15. Viewiew of the remains of the temple of

Govindadeva at Brindaban. Brindaban (Vrindavan) on the banks of the

river Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh.

 

 

 

Plate 2 from the first set of Thomas Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery.'

Vrindavan, north of Mathura, on the right bank of the river Jumna, is

a famous pilgrimage place for Hindus. This place is associated with

the life of the god Krishna who spent an idyllic youth among the

cowherds and cowgirls, the gopas and gopis of Braj, and is full of

temples dedicated to him. The one depicted by Daniell is the Madan

Mohan temple, built in the 17th century of brick and terracotta and

covered in terracotta plaques in the Bengali manner, reflecting the

rescue of the holy sites by Bengal Vaishnavas in the 16th century..

 

 

 

Watercolour of a wooded hillside at Brindaban, the Nid Ban,

traditionally where Krishna sported with the gopis. From 'Views by

Seeta Ram from Tughlikabad to Secundra Vol. VIII' produced for Lord

Moira, afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1814-

15. Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal and the

Commander-in-Chief (r.1813-23), was accompanied by artist Sita Ram

(flourished c.1810-22) to illustrate his journey from Calcutta to

Delhi between 1814-15.

 

 

 

Aquatint with etching of a view of Mathura on the river Jumna by

James Moffat dated 1800-1815. Mathura, on the banks of the river

Yamuna between Delhi and Agra, is a sacred city for Hindus.

Established as far back as 600 BC, it was famous as an important city

of the Kushana empire in the 1st century AD, and when the Chinese

traveller Hiuen Tsang visited it in the 7th century it was well-known

for its Buddhist monasteries. It was an artistic centre for several

centuries, producing images for all the great religions of India,

Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Its influence on Indian art declined

when it was subjected to upheavals, most notably the sacking of the

city by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1018. Mathura's fortunes revived when it

became a centre for the Vaishnava cult by the 15th century and it is

celebrated now above all as the site which Hindu mythology designates

as the birthplace of Krishna, the popular incarnation of Vishnu.

 

 

 

(note-This is the place where Krishna is said to have been born.

There had been at least two previous temples to Krishna here that

were torn down. There was a temple here that disappeared for some

unknown reason before Chandragupta Vikramaditya built his temple

which was destroyed by Mahmood Ghaznavi in 1017. The temple was

rebuilt by Raja Veer Singh in 1663 and is believed to have been

demolished by Aurangzeb in 1669, when the Idgah mosque was built at

what was the original entrance to the temple complex.)

Watercolour of Aurangzeb's Idgah at Mathura from 'Views by Seeta Ram

from Tughlikabad to Secundra Vol. VIII' produced for Lord Moira,

afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1814-15.

Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal and the

Commander-in-Chief (r.1813-23), was accompanied by artist Sita Ram

(flourished c.1810-22) to illustrate his journey from Calcutta to

Delhi between 1814-15. Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (r.1659-1707) ordered

the construction of the red sandstone mosque for the celebration of

the Muslim festival of Id [idgah] in 1670. The mosque was built on

the site of an earlier temple, Keshava Deva. Mathura, on the banks of

the river Yamuna 150 kms south of Delhi, is a sacred city for Hindus.

Mathura became the centre for the Vaishnava cult by the 15th century

and it is celebrated now above all as the site which Hindu mythology

designates as the birthplace of Krishna, the popular incarnation of

Vishnu. Inscribed below: 'Nowrung Padsha's Musgid at Muttra.'

 

 

 

 

Watercolour of the Jami Masjid in Mathura from 'Views by Seeta Ram

from Tughlikabad to Secundra Vol. VIII' produced for Lord Moira,

afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1814-15.

Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal and the

Commander-in-Chief (r.1813-23), was accompanied by artist Sita Ram

(flourished c.1810-22) to illustrate his journey from Calcutta to

Delhi between 1814-15. View of Mathura with Abd al-Nabi's mosque

[Jami Masjid] in the centre, still partly covered with tiles. The

Jami Masjid, constructed in 1660-61 by Abd al-Nabi, Mughal Emperor

Aurangzeb's (r.1659-1707) governor, is notably one of the first non-

imperial mosques built during this period. Built above street level

on a raised platform, the four minarets extending to 40 m in height

and the facade once covered with multi-coloured tilework would have

been visible from distances. Inscribed below: 'Abdool Nubee Khan's

Musgid at Muttra.'

 

 

 

Plate 22 from the third set of Thomas and William Daniell's 'Oriental

Scenery'. This view of the ancient city of Mathura, one of the seven

holy cities of Hinduism, is taken from a garden pavilion on the

opposite bank of the river Jumna. Mathura is particularly associated

wtih the exploits of the Hindu god Krishna. The principal buildings

visible are the fort built by Raja Man Singh of Amber at the

beginning of the 17th century, and the Jami Masjid with its four

minarets, which was erected 1660-1668 by Aurangzeb's governor 'Abd al-

Nabi Khan.

 

 

 

Watercolour of the Jami Masjid in Mathura from 'Views by Seeta Ram

from Tughlikabad to Secundra Vol. VIII' produced for Lord Moira,

afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1814-15.

Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal and the

Commander-in-Chief (r.1813-23), was accompanied by artist Sita Ram

(flourished c.1810-22) to illustrate his journey from Calcutta to

Delhi between 1814-15. View of Mathura with Abd al-Nabi's mosque

[Jami Masjid] in the centre. The Jami Masjid, constructed in 1660-61

by Abd al-Nabi, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's (r.1659-1707) governor, is

notably one of the first non-imperial mosques built during this

period. Built above street level on a raised platform, the four

minarets extending to 40 m in height and the facade once covered with

multi-coloured tilework would have been visible from distances.

Inscribed below: 'Town of Muttra.'

 

 

 

Plate twenty from '24 Views in Indostan by William Orme'. This

composition is based on a picture by Francis Swaine Ward (1736-1794).

It depicts the river Yamuna, as it flows past the fort at Mathura, in

Uttar Pradesh. The fort, known as the Khans Qila, was built by RAja

Man Singh of Amber in the early 17th Century. Mathura is perhaps most

famous for being the reputed birth place of Krishna, who is revered

as the most humanised deity in the Hindu pantheon. It was also the

centre for an important school of early Buddhist art.

 

 

 

Watercolour of the Vishram ghat from 'Views by Seeta Ram from

Tughlikabad to Secundra Vol. VIII' produced for Lord Moira,

afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1814-15.

Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal and the

Commander-in-Chief (r.1813-23), was accompanied by artist Sita Ram

(flourished c.1810-22) to illustrate his journey from Calcutta to

Delhi between 1814-15. Idealised view of the Vishram ghat on the

river Jumna at Mathura. Mathura, on the banks of the river Jumna 150

kms south of Delhi, is a sacred city for Hindus. Mathura became a

centre for the Vaishnava cult by the 15th century and it is

celebrated now above all as the site which Hindu mythology designates

as the birthplace of Krishna, the popular incarnation of Vishnu. As

an important pilgrimage site there are hundreds of temples here. The

Vishram Ghat is the most important of the ghats of Mathura. Legend

states that Krishna rested at this ghat after killing the demon Kamsa

(hence the name Vishram which means 'repose'). Inscribed

below: 'Bissaram Ghaut at Muttra.'

 

 

 

This is plate 1 from William Hodges' book 'Select Views of India'.

Hodges visited the ancient city of Ayodhya, then known as "Oudh", at

the end of 1783. This view shows the Lakshmana Ghat on the banks of

the Ghaghara river. The mosque at the top of the hill is the Babri

Masjid, constructed by Babur, the first Mughal king of India, who

ruled between 1526 and 1530. The mosque was infamously destroyed by

militant Hindus on 6 December 1992.

 

 

 

Watercolour of temples in Santipur along the Bhagirathi River from an

album of miscellaneous views of Bengal produced for Lord Moira,

afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1820-21.

Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal and the

Commander-in-Chief (r.1813-23), was accompanied by artist Sita Ram

(flourished c.1810-22) to illustrate his journey from Calcutta to

Delhi between 1814-15 and his convalescent tour in the Rajmahal Hills

in the winter of 1820-21.

 

 

 

Aquatint with etching of a large pagoda in Nadia drawn and engraved

by James Moffat (1775-1815) and published in Calcutta c.1804. James

Moffat, a Scotsman, was based in Calcutta from the age of fourteen

and is thought to have learnt his trade as an engraver in the city.

Nadia, a district in West Bengal, is situated to the north of

Calcutta. The building in this view is located at the bank of a river

and consists of a dominating square structure crowned by a large

dome. There are bathers in the foreground.

 

 

 

Plate 3 from the first set of Thomas Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery.'

The Qudsiya Bagh is a complex of summer palace, mosque and walled

garden built by Udham Bai, the Qudsiya Begum, wife of the Emperor

Muhammad Shah (1719-48) and mother of Ahmad Shah (1748-54). It was

laid out in the 1750s along the west bank of the river Jumna, north

of Shah Jahan's palace and fort in Delhi, which may be seen in the

distance. The jalis or latticed screens in the corner towers are

remarkable. Only the mosque now survives.

 

 

 

This is plate 2 from James Fergusson's book 'Ancient Architecture in

Hindoostan'. The Jagganath Temple at Puri, Orissa, is an important

pilgrimage site in India. It was completed in the 12th century under

the aegis of Anantavarman Chodaganga of the Ganga dynasty. This

picture shows the famous chariot festival (Rath Yatra) held at Puri

every year in June and July. During this festival, the temple's

wooden image of a form of Krishna known as Jagganath is transported

on an enormous chariot pulled along by a mass worshippers. It is from

this chariot festival that the English word "juggernaut" arose. In

the foreground is the pyramidal chariot of Jagganath surrounded by a

throng of devotees. In the background, beyond the wall, is the deul

or tower of the Jagganath Temple.

 

 

 

Plate 19 from the first set of Thomas Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery.'

Agori, on the river Son (no longer in Bihar, but now in Mirzapur

District, Uttar Pradesh), is an ancient sacred place although with no

very ancient architectural remains. It was once sacred to the non-

brahminical gods of the local aboriginals and was only comparatively

recently assimilated into more orthodox Hinduism. The 18th century

temples depicted by Daniell have the tall pyramidal sikharas or

superstructures typical of North India. They are dwarfed by the huge

Banyan tree with its hanging roots. This sacred tree is a symbol of

the Trimurti. Vishnu represents the bark, Brahma the roots and Shiva

the branches.

 

 

 

This is plate 22 from William Hodges' book 'Select Views in India'.

Hodges saw the temples at Deogarh in 1782. He wrote that "the Pagodas

at Deogur ... are in the earliest stage of Hindoo Buildings, simply

Pyramids, by pieling stone on stone, without any light whatever

within, but what comes from a small Door scarcely five feet high." He

used this view together with the view of the 'Great Pagoda at

Tanjore', to contrast what he saw as the early and the later stages

of Indian architecture.

 

 

 

Coloured aquatint by J. Wells after a drawing by Capt. Trapaud, of

the Brihadishvara Temple and tank at Thanjore, dated 1788. The great

Brihadishvara Temple represents the greatest architectural

achievement of the Chola era. It was patronised around 1010 by the

king Rajaraja I (c.985-1012), who donated the golden pot finial which

is still standing at the summit of the tower. It is entered through

the east by two gateways and it stands in the middle of a large

courtyard surrounded by smaller shrines. The tall pyramidal tower

over the sanctuary reaches 70 metres and consists of diminishing

storeys culminating in the octagonal domed roof and the golden pot

finial. It is covered with miniature temples and figure sculptures

that symbolise the cosmic manifestation. The outer walls have niches

with sculptured panels depicting various aspects of Shiva. This view

is taken from the Shivaganga tank with the tower of the temple in the

background.

 

 

Plate 18 from the fifth set of Thomas and William Daniell's 'Oriental

Scenery' called 'Antiquities of India.' The temple depicted by the

Daniells has been identified with the Gangadharesvara temple near

Bangalore, which is entered through a columned hall preceded by a

courtyard with four monolithic granite pillars. Two pillars are

carrying large discs representing the sun and moon. Another pillar is

topped by the trisula or trident, emblem of Shiva. The artists were

fascinated by the singularity of these symbols.

 

 

Water-colour painting of Shivala Ghat at Benares (now known as

Varanasi) in Uttar Pradesh with the Daniells' budgerow and

a 'morpunkhi' on the river by Thomas (1749-1840) and William (1769-

1837) Daniell in 1789. The original sketch was taken 17 or 22

November 1789, by William Daniell. Inscribed on the front in water-

colour is: 'Shuwallah-Gaut, Bernares.' Shivala Ghat also known as

Kali Ghat is privately owned by the ex-ruler of Varanasi. Shivala,

the fortress of Chet Singh, a representative of the Nawab of Oudh,

stands behind the ghat. The fort (the old palace of the Maharajas) is

where the British imprisoned Chet Singh in 1781 but he escaped by

climbing down to the river from a small window on the north wall

aided by his followers who fashioned a rope out of their turbans.

 

 

Plate 14 from the third set of Thomas and William Daniells' 'Oriental

Scenery.' Hosur was one of the forts established by Tipu Sultan in

the dry rocky country southwards from Bangalore for his military

campaigns into the Tamil country, as it commanded the route down from

Bangalore to the plains. Its capture by Cornwallis in 1791, the year

before the visit of the Daniells, was of great srategic signficance.

The Daniells rode out from the fort up to the temples on the nearby

hill, and this view shows the fort in the distance, with the small

temple on the left dedicated to Siva as Cudanathesvara, and a

choultry or travellers' resthouse on the right, where the sepoys who

accompanied the Daniells up from the fort rest in the shade.

 

 

Plate 21 from the second set of Thomas and William

Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery'. The Daniells wrote, 'The fort of

Tritchinopoly belongs to the nabob of the Carnatic, but is garrisoned

by the English. Its walls are nearly four miles in extent, and

surrounded by a broad and deep ditch'. A small pavilion and a shrine

dedicated to Ganesa crowns the top of the rock, and thatched huts are

grouped around a sacred bathing tank east of the rock.

 

 

Plate 8 from the third set of Thomas and William Daniells' 'Oriental

Scenery.' The Khusrau Bagh in Allahabad had originally been built as

a pleasure resort for the future Emperor Jahangir (1605-27), then

Prince Salim, when he stayed here in 1599 when in rebellion against

his father, and was designed in part by the artist Aqa Riza. The

gateway seems to date from this time. Jahangir's eldest son, Khusrau,

in turn rebelled against his father, and was kept incarcerated in

this garden in Allahabad, and he and his mother and sister are all

buried there. The entrance gateway to the garden is an arched portal

with projecting balconies; the Daniells remark on the gradual

disappearance of its painted decorations.

 

 

Plate 1 from the fourth set of Thomas and William Daniell's 'Oriental

Scenery,' which they called 'Twenty-four Landscapes.' The views

progress northwards from the far south at Cape Comorin to Srinagar in

Garhwal in the Himalaya mountains. 'This view...', the Daniells

wrote, '... is taken in the vicinity of a small village called

Calcad; it is a place of no account, but contains an Hindoo temple of

considerable dimensions. Though the hills beyond that village are

high, they seem almost levelled with the plain, when compared with

the lofty mountain of the Cape, rising immediately behind them.' Cape

Comorin is the southernmost point of India, and is actually some

distance from the mountain of Mahendragiri, the last tremendous

outcrop of the Western Ghats.

 

 

Plate 20 from the first set of Thomas Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery.'

The Daniells wrote, 'This view of Rotas Ghur was taken nearly at the

top of the mountain within the works. A temple of the Hindoos, with a

considerable flight of steps, formerly crowned the eminence on the

left; the upper part of which has been thrown down by the

Mahommedans, who erected a mosque near to it, and which in its turn

is also become a ruin. No inhabitants are now to be found within the

extensive walls of this magnificent fortress.' The ruins of the

ancient temple of Rohitesvara crown the bluff, approached by its

great stair, while the five-domed temple of Harsichandra may be seen

beyond. The ancient and vast fort of Rohtasgarh is perched on top of

the Kaimur Hills where they approach closest to the river Son in

south Bihar.

 

 

Plate 21 from the first set of Thomas Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery.'

Travelling on their pinnace along the river Ganges, the artists

sketched many views and noticed, 'The banks of the Ganges are here

very lofty, steep, and picturesque; but are subject to considerable

alterations in the rainy season, as the river then rises to the

height of thirty feet.' At that time, before the coming of railways,

boats like the one in this view with a big sail were widely used for

transport. It was the Daniells' baggage boat, and their palanquins

can be seen lashed to the roof. Their own pinnace budgerow is in the

distance. The actual site of the view is Naubasta, below the ancient

city of Kara on the Ganges, with a small 18th century temple crowning

the bluff.

 

 

Plate 19 from the second set of Thomas and William

Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery.' Tiruchchirappalli, in the central Tamil

Nadu country, is characterised by a granite rock rising abruptly from

the bank of the Kaveri river. This natural feature made this place an

important Hindu centre, occupied successively by the Pandyas, Cholas

and Vijayanagara governors, and by the Nawab of Arcot when the

Daniells visited it. Its natural strength was enhanced by a great

fortress built around the rock as a citadel, the siege of which

figured prominently in the Anglo-French Carnatic Wars in the middle

of the 18th century. On the western side of the rock, half-way up, as

seen here on the right is a massive walled temple of the 17th

century.

 

 

Plate 23 from the fourth set of Thomas and William

Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery,' which they called 'Twenty-four

Landscapes.' The views progress northwards from the far south at Cape

Comorin to Srinagar in Garhwal in the Himalaya mountains. The Raja of

Srinagar was involved in a war with his brother when the Daniells

arrived in the town. They were told to leave quickly as the army

would have soon been there. William recorded that, 'The river is here

too rapid to be passed even by boats, and therefore the bridge of

ropes...offered the only means for the Rajah and his people to effect

their retreat'. The river here is the Alakananda, a tribtary of the

Ganges.

 

 

Plate 17 from the fifth set of Thomas and William Daniell's 'Oriental

Scenery' called 'Antiquities of India.' The group of structures in

this print are close to the Gangadhareshvara temple, south of

Bangalore. The Daniells wrote, 'The neighbourhood of Bangalore is

remarkable for the frequent appearance of the remains of antient

Hindoo architecture. Nearly in the centre of this view is a temple,

but at present without an idol. On the left is the Chackra or Discus

of Vish-noo placed horizontally, supported by a pillar, both executed

in stone: and on the right is a pavilion very neatly executed, which

probably was the place for exhibiting to the multitude the idol

belonging to the adjoining temple. Further on to the right is a stone

pillar, on the top of which on particular occasions was placed the

sacred fire.'

 

 

Plate 9 from the fourth set of Thomas and William Daniell's 'Oriental

Scenery,' which they called 'Twenty-four Landscapes.' The views

progress northwards from the far south at Cape Comorin to Srinagar in

Garhwal in the Himalaya mountains. Sakrigali, situated at the pass

that separates the Ganges from the northernmost spur of the Rajmahal

Hills, was a popular place for boats using the river to anchor. The

boatmen on the right are 'tracking , their budgerow, i.e. landing and

pulling it upstream with ropes, a frequent necessity in the teeth of

the fierce current and contrary winds. The Daniells record that the

scene was '...perfectly enchanting; hills finely varied, buildings

interspersed, a luxuriant vegetation, and the whole illuminated by a

bright and serene atmosphere'. The bungalow with a thatched roof was

occasionally used by the British resident of nearby Bhagalpur, while

a Muslim shrine occupies the top of the bluff.

 

 

 

 

 

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