Fort William in the kingdom of Bengal. Belonging to the East India Company of England

1754

Original hand-coloured copper engraving on paper

Without mount: 10 x 15.3 in (25.5 x 39 cm)
With mount: 17.3 x 23 in (44 x 58.5 cm)

Published by Robert Sayer, London
French, publication line at lower right mentions: "Publish'd according to Act of Parliament / London Printed for Robt. Sayer opposite Fetter Lane Fleet Street", at top right with plate number: "3".

This is the original Fort Williams, or the first of two that the British East India Company constructed in 1696. John Goldsborough oversaw the construction of the structure. Sir Charles Eyre began building the South-East Bastion and the surrounding fortifications close to the Hooghly River. In 1700, King William III inspired its name. The original structure featured wings that protruded and was two floors tall. The Black Hole of Calcutta turned out to be an internal guard room. Siraj ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, assaulted the Fort in 1756, briefly took control of the city, and renamed it Alinagar. The British decided to build a new fort in the Maidan as a result.

Jan van Ryne presents an idealistic picture of Fort William in Calcutta to his viewers. Although parts of the fort had stood since 1696, the fort as it is seen now was finished in 1706. Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, made this print just two years before Fort William was taken, despite the British East India Company's best efforts. One of Siraj's numerous grievances with the East India Company was with Fort William. It was interpreted as aggressive conduct when the Company fortified and strengthened it without telling Siraj. In actuality, the Nawab was further enraged when the Company disregarded warnings to cease strengthening.

Siraj captured Fort William, but the prisoners were imprisoned overnight in an unusually packed cell with almost little water, no air, and oppressive heat due to confusion and misunderstandings within the line of command (and allegedly the brutality of the few guards assigned to watch over them). Most of the inmates at the "Black Hole of Calcutta" perished due to the appalling conditions. When Sayer printed this map, the horrors were still to come.

Part of the reason the East India Company constructed, occupied, and cared for Fort William was to retain its hegemony over Indian trade. This suggests that the ships on the Hooghly River are most likely East India Company ships. They are all flying red ensigns, which may be flown by merchantmen or Royal Navy vessels. This 1765 print features one of the ensigns that the East India Company did have.

EIC ships may fly the crimson pennant, as has been observed on a few Indiamen. Since art has undermined the usage of ensigns that many vexillologists attribute exclusively to naval vessels, we should always exercise caution when recognizing ships based only on the colours they fly. It's possible that these ships are truly flying ensigns that we associate with specific types of vessels, or it's just that the painters are unaware of how colours are used in the maritime industry.

The men in this boat have coats in red, green, and blue hues. They're all wearing circular hats with different brim lengths.

Jan van Ryne (c.1712 - c.1760)
He was a Dutch artist, who moved to London in 1750 and worked as a draughtsman and engraver in the city until his death ten years later. In 1754, Robert Sayer published six ‘Views of Early Settlements’, which were both drawn and engraved by van Ryne. The titles were: ‘Fort St. George on the Coromandel Coast’, ‘Bombay on the Malabar Coast’, ‘Fort William on the Kingdom of Bengal’, ‘The City of Batavia in the Island of Java’, ‘Island of St Helena’ and ‘The Cape of Good Hope’. Van Ryne presumably had no first-hand knowledge of these locations, but worked from the sketches of travellers who had. The prints were later reissued by Laurie and Whittle of 53 Fleet Street, London, in 1794.

This work will be shipped unframed

NON-EXPORTABLE

This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as reference for the condition of each lot.