Important Notice

Lettered in the lower margin: “The death of Col.l Moorhouse, at the storming of Bangalore. To Richard Marques Wellesley, Knt. of the most noble Order of the Garter, one of His Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, late Governor General of the British possessions, & Capt. General of the British forces in India, this plate is most respectfully dedicated by his Lordship's most obed.t hum. serv.t Geo. Goulding. Engraving by E. Stalker from an... Lettered in the lower margin: “The death of Col.l Moorhouse, at the storming of Bangalore. To Richard Marques Wellesley, Knt. of the most noble Order of the Garter, one of His Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, late Governor General of the British possessions, & Capt. General of the British forces in India, this plate is most respectfully dedicated by his Lordship's most obed.t hum. serv.t Geo. Goulding. Engraving by E. Stalker from an original picture painted by Rob.t Home Esq.r, in the possession of Mr Goulding.”

DEATH AT THE PETTAH GATE: STALKER AFTER HOME’S MONUMENTAL VISION OF MOORHOUSE’S FALL AT BANGALORE

This large-format, hand-coloured engraving, executed by Ebenezer Stalker after a painting by the celebrated artist Robert Home, commemorates the death of Colonel William Moorhouse at the Storming of Bangalore in 1791, during the Third Anglo-Mysore War. The work was published by George Goulding of Soho Square in 1811 and dedicated to Richard, Marquess Wellesley, then Governor-General of Bengal.

"When Joseph Moorhouse was killed, his brother officers invited Home to record the event with a painting 'in the size and manner of General Wolfe', a reference to Benjamin West's 'Death of Wolfe'. Home's sketches of some of these officers and men are preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Like the oil painting, they show acute attention to the details of uniforms, especially those of the flank companies of the 36th Foot. The artist spent much of his adult life in India, where he became Court Painter to the King of Oudh and where most of his larger oils were painted and remained after partition."

"Joseph Moorhouse was commissioned from the ranks, joining the Madras Artillery in 1768. He was killed, aged 47, leading an assault on the Pettah Gate at Bangalore during the 3rd Mysore War (1790-1792). Mortally wounded, he lies in the centre of the scene, supported by Captain Douglas of the 74th (Highland) Regiment. Others include the second-in-command, Major-General William Medows, riding a brown horse to the right, and Captains Wight, Wynch, and Burn in the centre. The assault on the Pettah Gate proved successful, and the enemy was routed. Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the State of Mysore, was forced back to his fortress capital of Seringapatam, where, after a few months, peace was signed." —online catalogue of the National Army Museum.

The scene depicts the dramatic moment of Col. Moorhouse's mortal wounding amidst a chaotic siege, highlighting both British military gallantry and colonial sacrifice. In the foreground, British soldiers tend to the fallen officer while battle rages in the middle ground. The fortress of Bangalore looms behind as sepoys, British infantry, and Mysorean defenders clash amid smoke and cannon fire. A statue of a cow in the far-left background and palm trees to the right anchor the scene in its Indian setting.

Robert Home, a trained academic painter and one of the earliest European artists active in colonial India, produced this composition to symbolise British martial heroism and virtue. Ebenezer Stalker, an accomplished engraver, brought Home’s design to life with fine stipple and aquatint work, capturing the emotional tension and rich military detail. The engraving was part of a broader tradition of commemorative prints celebrating British imperial conquests and was likely displayed in military or elite households across Britain and India.

This engraving is also significant for its political messaging: dedicated to Wellesley, it reinforces the narrative of British civilising heroism during an era of increasing colonial consolidation in South India.

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