A View of the Black Pagoda on the Chitpore Road

July 1826

Hand coloured aquatint on board

Print size: 12.5 x 17.25 in (31.5 x 43.5 cm)
Sheet size: 14.25 x 19.5 in (36 x 49.6 cm)
With Mount: 22 x 27.5 in (55.8 x 69.5 cm)

This is plate 23 of James Baillie Fraser’s Views of Calcutta and Its Environs, From Drawings Executed by James B. Fraser, Esq. From Sketches Made on the Spot.

Fraser incorporates the view of the Black Pagoda at Chitpore Road, a predominantly native part of Calcutta, as he moves south into the heart of the city. Gobindram Mitter, a local zamindar (landlord), constructed this in 1731. It was never finished, and the main tower collapsed in 1813 due to decay. In this image, the Navaratna, or nine pinnacles, are depicted on one of the two subsidiary structures.

James Baillie Fraser (1783 - 1856)
James Baillie Fraser, a Scot, travelled to India after the war with Nepal ended. Accompanied by his brother William, he explored the Himalayan region for two months in 1815-16, and the duo were the first Europeans to reach the sources of both the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. Under the tutelage of artist George Chinnery, Fraser documented his travels through sketches and writings. William Havell encouraged him to publish these upon his return to Calcutta. The writings were published as The Journal of a Tour through Part of the Snowy Range of the Himalaya Mountains and to the Sources of the Rivers Jumna and Ganges. The present lot is Plate no. 12 from James Baillie Fraser's, Views in the Himala Mountains, London: Rodwell & Martin, 1820.

In style, the plates are similar to, and very much a match, for Henry Salt's and the Daniell brothers' large-scale views published 10 and 20 years earlier. This was a deliberate strategy by the publishers, who drew attention to the similarities in their advertisements, which describe the work as being 'In Elephant Folio, uniform with Daniell's Oriental Scenery, and Salt's Views in Abyssinia.' J R Abbey, Travel in Aquatint and Lithography 1770-1860, 498 no. 13.

This lot 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.