Patna thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Patna

Painting
1888 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The brothers Frederick William Alexander de Fabeck (1830-1912) and William Frederick de Fabeck (1834-1906) were both employed in the Indian Medical Service. Frederick William was born on 15 September 1830 and studied in Paris. He became a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, in 1858, the year in which he was appointed Assistant Surgeon in the Bengal Service. He died in Alassio, Italy, on 5 May 1912. William Frederick became Assistant Surgeon in the Madras Service in 1857, Surgeon in 1869, Surgeon Major in 1873, and Brigade Surgeon in 1882. His sketches, mainly of architectural details, were probably made when he was posted to Jaipur as a teacher at the School of Art (1869-7?); he later became Director. He also prepared plans for the 1883 Jaipur Exhibition. He served in the Crimea (1954-5) and was at the siege and capture of Sebastopol. He died in London on 18 January 1906. This painting is by the elder brother, Frederick William, and shows the gola or granary at Patna in Bengal. This storage house for grain, also known as Golghar ('round house'), was built in 1786 by John Garstin at the request of the then administrator, Warren Hastings, as a safeguard against a recurrence of the terrible famine of 1770. There are two sets of stairs on the outside that spiral up to the summit, which has a hole in it. People carrying grain could ascend one flight of steps and descend by the other.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitlePatna (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Drawn and painted in pencil and watercolour on paper
Brief description
Painting, granary at Patna, by F. W. A. De Fabeck, pencil and watercolour on paper, Patna, 1888
Physical description
Painting, pencil and watercolour on paper, depicting 'the Gola', built as a granary in 1783, at Patna. Dated October 28, 1883.
Dimensions
  • Height: 149mm
  • Width: 252mm
15/05/2013 dimensions measured as part of Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project 2013.
Marks and inscriptions
'Patna Oct 28. 1888'
Credit line
Given by Mrs Laura de Fabeck
Subjects depicted
Summary
The brothers Frederick William Alexander de Fabeck (1830-1912) and William Frederick de Fabeck (1834-1906) were both employed in the Indian Medical Service. Frederick William was born on 15 September 1830 and studied in Paris. He became a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, in 1858, the year in which he was appointed Assistant Surgeon in the Bengal Service. He died in Alassio, Italy, on 5 May 1912. William Frederick became Assistant Surgeon in the Madras Service in 1857, Surgeon in 1869, Surgeon Major in 1873, and Brigade Surgeon in 1882. His sketches, mainly of architectural details, were probably made when he was posted to Jaipur as a teacher at the School of Art (1869-7?); he later became Director. He also prepared plans for the 1883 Jaipur Exhibition. He served in the Crimea (1954-5) and was at the siege and capture of Sebastopol. He died in London on 18 January 1906. This painting is by the elder brother, Frederick William, and shows the gola or granary at Patna in Bengal. This storage house for grain, also known as Golghar ('round house'), was built in 1786 by John Garstin at the request of the then administrator, Warren Hastings, as a safeguard against a recurrence of the terrible famine of 1770. There are two sets of stairs on the outside that spiral up to the summit, which has a hole in it. People carrying grain could ascend one flight of steps and descend by the other.
Bibliographic reference
Rohatgi P. and Parlett G., assisted by Imray S. and Godrej P. Indian Life and Landscape by Western Artists: Paintings and Drawings from the Victoria and Albert Museum, 17th to the early 20th century. Published by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, in association with V&A, London, 2008. ISBN 81-901020-9-5. p. 339, pl. 60
Collection
Accession number
IM.22-1913

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Record createdSeptember 24, 2004
Record URL
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