Lot 14 Details

Hindoostan Illustrated: Absolute Tuesdays 27 July 2021

T Fielding and C Bentley after William Westall

Two prints from...

a) T Fielding after William...

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b) C Bentley after William Westall
Fortress of Bowrie in Rajpootana
Colour aquatint on paper
9.5 x 11.25 in (24.5 x 29 cm)

"This is plate 16 of Robert Melville Grindlay's 'Scenery, Costumes and Architecture chiefly on the Western Side of India'. Grindlay (1786-1877) was only 17 when he arrived in India in 1803. He served with the Bombay Native Infantry from 1804 to 1820 and during this period made a large collection of sketches and drawings. This plate, Grindlay writes: "represents one of the smaller fortresses with which this province abounds." (Source: British Library Board)

Captain Robert Melville Grindlay (1786-1877), founder of the Grindlays Bank and a self-taught artist, arrived in India in 1803. Only 17 years old at the time, he worked with the East India Company's military service and served with the 7th Bombay Native Infantry from 1804 to 1820. During these years, he travelled widely across the country, and made numerous drawings and sketches on the landscapes and life around him, including views of Bombay, Gujarat and Ellora.

The present lot is from the compilation of these plates, which he published upon his return to England. These are some of the most beautiful scenic colour plates on India. Grindlay went on to found Leslie & Grindlay, an agency house, in 1828. Initially, the agency helped secure travel arrangements of its clientele, to India and back, procuring sea passages, clearing and shipping baggage. The services graduated to banking operations...[and] by 1852 - the year Grindlay retired the firm had become the most distinguished bankers and agents to the civil and military officials of the business community and the British army in India. (Arup K Chatterjee, Robert Melville, Scroll.in, 6 March 2018, online)

Winning bid
$246
Rs 17,940
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)