View of a Tomb at Peruspore, Gour

1808

Later hand-coloured aquatint on paper

Print Size: 14 x 19.5 in (35.5 x 49.5 cm)
Sheet Size: 15.75 x 21.25 in (40 x 53.8 cm)
With Mount: 20 x 25.75 in (50.8 x 65.5 cm)

The print depicts a scene from Gour, an ancient city in West Bengal known for its historical significance as a capital under both Hindu and Muslim rulers. It was the capital of Bengal under its ancient Hindu kings and after 1200 under Muslim rulers. Gour flourished under rulers like Husain Shah (1493–1519) but was abandoned in 1575 due to a plague outbreak. The tomb featured in the print reflects the region's architectural heritage, blending Mughal and local influences.

James Moffat (1775–1815)
James Moffat, a British engraver and printmaker who worked in Calcutta, was among several artists who visually documented Indian landscapes, often inspired by European engravers and local surroundings during the early 19th century. Known for his intricate aquatint and line engravings, Moffat documented Indian landscapes, monuments, and architectural heritage, contributing significantly to the visual culture of colonial India. In 1808, James Moffat produced a series of prints after Henry Creighton's drawings of Gour.

The present lot is one of the views of Gour—a historic city that now lies on the border of India and Bangladesh—based on drawings by Henry Creighton. The son of a Scottish native, Creighton began working for Charles Grant as a mercantile assistant. At the time, Grant was a commercial resident at the East India Company's factory in the district of Malda in Bengal. The factory's headquarters was located a few miles outside the town of Gour, and produced silk and cotton goods and pure raw silk. In 1786, Grant established an indigo factory in Guamalati, amidst the city's ruins, and hired Creighton as its superintendent. Creighton worked there until his death in 1807, when he was a mere 40 years of age.

Creighton was an excellent draughtsman and painter, and he sought inspiration in the ruins of Gour. At that time, Gour was considered a quarry of sorts, and bricks from this site were transported to Malda, Murshidabad, Rajmahal, and other places as building material. This led to the defacement and destruction of Gour's ancient buildings and monuments. In opposition to this practice, Creighton exerted significant effort to excavate and preserve the carved architectural fragments and detached inscriptions found in the forests surrounding Gour, thereby preventing their poaching. He kept careful records of their site of origin and preserved them in the courtyard of his factory. These artefacts eventually found their way into major public collections in the USA and UK, including the British Museum.

During this endeavor, Creighton visited all the surviving monuments of Gour and painted sketches of them. He even repaired some of the crumbling edifices like Firuz Minar...He also collected the prized glazed bricks of Gour and coins; the latter had been occasionally found among the ruins in his time. His antiquarian interests led him to Pandua, where he prepared detailed architectural drawings of the Adina Mosque and probably other monuments, which never came to light. (Pratip Kumar Mitra, Pratna Samiksha: A Journal of Archaeology, New Series: Volume 3, Kolkata: Centre for Archaeological Studies and Training, Eastern India, 2012, p. 214)

Creighton gradually developed a large portfolio of these drawings and, by 1801, had completed the first scientific survey of the city of Gour, including a detailed map of its ruins. He presented a copy of his survey map on a reduced scale to Marquis of Wellesley, the then Governor-General of Bengal (1798-1805). (Mitra, p. 214)

James Moffat in Calcutta engraved and published six of Creighton's drawings in 1808, a year after his death. To provide some support for the family after his death, a book titled The Ruins of Gour: Described and Represented in Eighteen Views with a Topographical Map, a compilation of his manuscripts and drawings, was published by Black, Parbury, & Allen, Bookseller nine years later. Thomas Medland, the drawing master at The East India Company's College at Haileybury, engraved the aquatints, while Thomas Fisher etched the map.

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.