Not currently on display at the V&A

St James's Church, Calcutta

Painting
1864 (made)
Artist/Maker
Wray, Christopher George (made)

Painting of St James's Church, Calcutta, by C.G. Wray, 1864


Object details

Category
Architecture
Object type
Painting
TitleSt James's Church, Calcutta (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Pencil
Water-Colour
Brief description
Painting of St James's Church, Calcutta, by C.G. Wray, 1864
Credit line
Given by Paul F. Walter
Production
This painting was formerly believed to show a design for the Convocation Hall of Bombay University by the Office of Sir George Gilbert Scott. Dr Alex Bremner, University of Edinburgh, has identified the watercolour as a painting of St James's Church, Calcutta, by Christopher George Wray (fl. 1856-1888), as communicated by Richard Butler, St John's College, Cambridge (see also References). Wray was an architect at the Public Works Department, Calcutta, although he also had a London address. The building depicted in the painting resembles St James's Church (as seen in an old photograph) very closely, although the towers are significantly different in the painting to the photograph, and the spire above the crossing is absent in the photograph. This begs the question of whether the painting may have been based on an original design before the church was built in 1862.
Bibliographic references
  • The Ecclesiologist, 1864, pp. 148-49.
  • British Architectural Library. 'Directory of British Architects 1834-1914'. London & New York, 2001. Vol. 2, p.1068.
  • Graves, Algernon. 'The Royal Academy of Arts: A Complete Dictionary of Contributors and their work from its foundation in 1769 to 1904' . London, 1906. vol.7, p.57.
  • Butler, Richard. 'George Gilbert Scott and the University of Bombay', The Victorian. The Magazine of the Victorian Society. July 2011, no. 37, pp. 10-13.
  • 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. pp. 328 and 329, pl. 47
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IS.1-2000

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Record createdMarch 27, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O34384/st-jamess-church-calcutta-painting-wray-christopher-george/
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