Not on display

Eastern Gate of the Jummah Musjid, Delhi

Aquatint
1795 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is one of a set of twenty-four prints published by Thomas and William Daniell in March 1795 under the title 'Oriental Scenery'. Printed in London, it would have been the first image produced by them to be seen by the wider British public. This impressive composition captured the grandeur of the architecture and the excitement and splendour of the procession in the foreground. It immediately conveyed the visual delights that India had to offer as well as the artist's skill in portraying it.

Thomas and his young nephew William produced a visual record of India that surpassed the work of any other artists of the period. Their series of 144 hand-coloured aquatints published between 1795 and 1808 were an instant commercial success in Britain, greatly increasing knowledge of India.

The Daniells arrived in Calcutta in 1786 and set up a printing studio. Their first set of prints depicted the city and the profits from these financed their travels across India. Aware of the success of artist, William Hodges, they followed in his footsteps, travelling through much of north India and then up to the Himalayas. Three years later in 1791, they returned to Calcutta with 150 completed oil paintings. In 1792, a further eight month tour of South India resulted in some of their finest works.

The Daniells usually worked together, with William drawing the outlines with the aid of a camera obsucra, an optical device used to project an image onto paper which the artist could then trace, and Thomas adding the tonal washes and finishing touches.

Object details

Category
Object type
TitleEastern Gate of the Jummah Musjid, Delhi (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Aquatint on paper
Brief description
Eastern gate of the Jummah Musjid at Delhi, by Thomas Daniell, print, aquatint, 1795, London
Physical description
This depicts one of the entrances to the Jami Masjid, with steps leading up to an imposing gateway. There is a procession with elephants in the foreground.
Dimensions
  • Height: 465mm
  • Width: 599mm
Gallery label
This is one of a set of twenty-four prints published by the Daniells in March 1795 under the title Oriental Scenery. Printed in London, it would have been the first image produced by them to be seen by the wider British public. This impressive composition captured the grandeur of the architecture and the excitement and splendour of the procession in the foreground. It immediately conveyed the visual delights that India had to offer as well as the artist’s skill in portraying it.
Object history
Printed as Plate 1, Oriental Scenery, part I
Production
Printed at Plate 1, Oriental Scenery, part I
Places depicted
Summary
This is one of a set of twenty-four prints published by Thomas and William Daniell in March 1795 under the title 'Oriental Scenery'. Printed in London, it would have been the first image produced by them to be seen by the wider British public. This impressive composition captured the grandeur of the architecture and the excitement and splendour of the procession in the foreground. It immediately conveyed the visual delights that India had to offer as well as the artist's skill in portraying it.

Thomas and his young nephew William produced a visual record of India that surpassed the work of any other artists of the period. Their series of 144 hand-coloured aquatints published between 1795 and 1808 were an instant commercial success in Britain, greatly increasing knowledge of India.

The Daniells arrived in Calcutta in 1786 and set up a printing studio. Their first set of prints depicted the city and the profits from these financed their travels across India. Aware of the success of artist, William Hodges, they followed in his footsteps, travelling through much of north India and then up to the Himalayas. Three years later in 1791, they returned to Calcutta with 150 completed oil paintings. In 1792, a further eight month tour of South India resulted in some of their finest works.

The Daniells usually worked together, with William drawing the outlines with the aid of a camera obsucra, an optical device used to project an image onto paper which the artist could then trace, and Thomas adding the tonal washes and finishing touches.
Bibliographic reference
Patel, Divia; Rohatgi, Pauline and Godrej, Pheroza, "Indian Life and Landscape by Western Artists: an exhibition of paintings and drawings from the 17th to the early 20th century organised by the V&A and CSMVS". Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai and Victoria and Albert Museum, 2008, ISBN:81-901020-8-7 p.28
Collection
Accession number
IS.242:1-1961

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Record createdJuly 15, 2008
Record URL
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