NON-EXPORTABLE

TITLE: Ancient Excavations at Carli
ARTIST: Henry Salt
ENGRAVER: Daniel Havell
PUBLISHER: William Miller
PLACE: London
YEAR: 1809
MEDIUM: Colour Aquatint and etching
SURFACE: Paper
IMAGE SIZE: 46 x 60 cm
PAPER SIZE: 48.5 x 63 cm
WITH MOUNT: 65.5 x 79 cm

Plate 14 from Salt's folio views of India, Egypt, Ceylon, Abyssinia, the Cape of Good Hope, and St. Helena.

The Buddhist Chaitya (hall of worship) at Karli (Karle), with rocks onthe right, ruins by the entrance and figures in front.

The present lot "shows the great Buddhist Chaitya (hall of worship) at Karli (Karle). Dating from some time between the second century BC and the first century AD, the Karli caves are in the Poona district of Maharashtra, and this chaitya is the largest rock-cut cave in India. Explorer and earl, George Annesley described the carvings and entrance screens as greatly damaged by human hand, but was much impressed by the grandeur of the huge arched roof. The cave is also distinguished by the entrance pillar, which is 24 feet high and eight feet in diameter, with a summit carving of four lions." (British Library Board).

Henry Salt made a wash drawing in 1804, on which this print is based, and it currently resides in the India Office Collection, British Library (WD1307). A pencil drawing also depicting the same view is in this collection (WD1308).