Set of four prints from Calcutta and its Environs
a) Sir Charles D' Oyly
Menagerie at Baruckpore Park
1848
Original colour lithograph on paper heightened with gum arabic
8.5 x 11.5 in (21.5 x 29.5 cm)
“This coloured lithograph is taken from plate 16a of Sir Charles D'Oyly's 'Views of Calcutta and its Environs'. This one shows part of the menagerie at Barrackpore. Marquess Wellesley was British Governor-General in Calcutta from 1797 to 1805, and converted the home of the commander-in-chief of the army at Barrackpore into a palatial summer residence in 1800.
He had the gardens of Barrackpore Park laid out in the 'English Style' and the extensive grounds contained a theatre, an aviary and a menagerie. He supported the Indian Natural History Project (1801-1808), which aimed to inventory all the animal wealth in the massive country. The project ended prematurely but the animals in the menagerie were retained, and it was from this nucleus (maintained by successive governors-general) that the Zoological Gardens of Calcutta, in Alipur, developed”. (Source: British Library Board)
b) Sir Charles D'Oyly
Entrance to Baruckpore Park
1848
Original colour lithograph on paper heightened with gum arabic
8.5 x 11.5 in (21.5 x 29.5 cm)
"This coloured lithograph is taken from plate 16b of Sir Charles D'Oyly's 'Views of Calcutta and its Environs'. This second one shows the entrance to the extensive grounds at Barrackpore. Home to successive commanders-in-chief of the British army, the building was converted into a palatial summer residence by Marquess Wellesley in 1800. The grounds were landscaped to resemble an English garden, providing a suitable setting for leisure activities of British aristocrats in Calcutta". (Source: British Library Board)
c) Sir Charles D'Oyly
The Bishop's College
1848
Original colour lithograph on paper heightened with gum arabic
8.25 x 11.25 in (21 x 28.5 cm)
"This coloured lithograph is taken from plate 18a of Sir Charles D'Oyly's 'Views of Calcutta and its environs'. This one shows Bishop's College, which was established in the early 1820s by the first Bishop of Calcutta, Thomas Middleton, as part of a scheme for a theological college along the lines of that at Cambridge. It contained a chapel, houses, library and lecture rooms. It later became the Calcutta Engineering College". (Source: British Library Board)
d) Sir Charles D'Oyly
The Mahommedan College
1848
Original colour lithograph on paper heightened with gum arabic
8.25 x 11.25 in (21 x 28.5 cm)
"This coloured lithograph is taken from plate 18b of Sir Charles D'Oyly's 'Views of Calcutta and its Environs'. This one depicts the Islamic College of Calcutta. Now called the Calcutta Madrasah, it was set up by Warren Hastings in 1780 to train Muslim men for office in the courts of justice. It taught Arabic, Persian and Islamic Law. The original building was completed in 1782 and was situated on the south side of the Bow Bazaar, but the college moved to Wellesley Square in the 1820s". (Source: British Library Board)
The four plates in this lot are part of the 30 images from the book Calcutta and its Environs painted by Sir Charles D'Oyly, one of the most accomplished artists of 19th century British India. It focuses on the early 19th century Calcutta. Sir Charles was not a professional artist. He was not trained in London or elsewhere in the U.K.
Sir Charles D'Oyly was born in 1781 in Murshidabad, Bengal. He briefly relocated to the UK with his family to pursue his formal education, before returning to Calcutta in 1808 to serve the East India Company in various capacities until his retirement in 1833. During his time in British India, D'Oyly served as a senior member in the Board of Customs, Salt, Opium and the Marine. He also held the esteemed positions of Collector of Dacca (1808-12), Collector of Customs in Calcutta (1813-21), Opium Agent and the Commercial Resident of Patna (1821-31).
Over the course of his long stay in Dacca, Patna and Calcutta, D'Oyly was able to refine his artistic skills under the guidance of his mentor George Chinnery, as well as his second wife Elizabeth Jane Ross (a painter) and several local artists with whom he worked closely. He was considered to be one of the finest liners of the time, with contributions in various publications including Antiquities of Dacca (1817), the Bahar Amateur Lithographic Scrap (1829), Views of Calcutta & Environs (1848), Sketches of a New Road in a Journey from Calcutta to Gyah (1860), and the burlesque poem "Tom Raw, the Griffin".
(Set of four)
These prints will be shipped unframed.
NON-EXPORTABLE