Company School Gallery

Calcutta from the River Hoogly: Gentoo Buildings from the Views of Calcutta

5973713 Calcutta from the River Hoogly: Gentoo Buildings from the Views of Calcutta, 1788 (aquatint, ink & w/c on paper) by Daniell, Thomas (1749-1840) & William (1769-1837); 43.8x55.1 cm; Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, USA; (add.info.: Calcutta's importance was based upon its strategic location on the Hugli (Hoogly) River linking the Bay of Bengal with the north Indian plain. In front of banks lined with the warehouses and homes of Indian (or Gentoo) merchants, the Hugli bustles with river traffic. Country boats with bamboo decks and a horse-headed pleasure craft ply up and down the river. The tall ship flying a British flag in the middle of the composition is similar to the type Thomas and William Daniell used during their travels up the river.); Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Gift of Lee and Roy Galloway; English, out of copyright

© Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Gift of Lee and Roy Galloway / Bridgeman Images

Old Court House Street Looking South from the Views of Calcutta, 1788 (aquatint

5973714 Old Court House Street Looking South from the Views of Calcutta, 1788 (aquatint, ink & w/c on paper) by Daniell, Thomas (1749-1840) & William (1769-1837); 44.5x56.8 cm; Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, USA; (add.info.: Here, as in so many of their prints, Thomas and William Daniell contrast the European-style architecture of colonial Calcutta with its eclectic population by delineating the stately structures precisely while rendering the inhabitants with a more fluid line. If their depiction of the large mansions of East India Company agents and wealthy merchants appealed to British pride, their inclusion of natives, such as the ascetic leaning upon his staff visible in the midst of the broad avenue, spoke to British fascination with their "exotic" subjects.); Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Gift of Lee and Roy Galloway; English, out of copyright

© Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Gift of Lee and Roy Galloway / Bridgeman Images

Oriental Magpie Robin with Katydid and Leaf Hopper on Monkey Jack Branch

5910195 Oriental Magpie Robin with Katydid and Leaf Hopper on Monkey Jack Branch, folio from a Series Commissioned by Lady Impey, 1778 (opaque colours & ink on paper) by Shaikh Zain ud-Din (Sheikh Zainuddin, Shaykh Zayn al-Din) (fl.1777-83); 78.74 A-- 99.7 cm; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, MN, USA; A© Minneapolis Institute of Art; Gift of Elizabeth and Willard Clark; Indian, out of copyright

© © Minneapolis Institute of Art Gift of Elizabeth and Willard Clark / Bridgeman Images