What did India look like before the advent of photography? This curiosity may or may not be of interest to Indians of today but to people in the western hemisphere two-three hundred years ago, who sent their sons and daughters to this far off land in search of a zillion things, it must have been a well-nurtured sentiment that could be quenched only with physical evidence. And a certain uncle-nephew duo, the Daniells, did a stunning job of keeping this curiosity sated. They may not have realized then that the paintings they created for documenting what their eyes saw of India, would become a highly-valued proof of an India gone by centuries after their time. The painters, and their images of an almost unrecognizable, fable-land India are part of legend now. The duo —Thomas Daniell, R.A. (1749-1840) and his nephew William Daniell, R.A. (1769-1837) — arrived in Kolkata (then known as Calcutta) in 1786, and spent 10 years in the country, visiting the north, west and south of the subcontinent from Kolkata, which served as their base. Upon their return to England, they published “Oriental Scenery,” a six-volume exhaustive work on the drawings and paintings of India, between 1795 and 1808.A group of paintings by the Daniells is coming up for sale during Christie’s London Classic Week as part of the auction titled “Topographical Pictures,” to be held on December 15. A total of eight works by the Daniell duo are part of the sale, of which six are about India. The most striking, and expensive, of the group is William Daniell’s oil on canvas, “Shivala Ghaut and Cheyt Singh’s House near Benaras (79.5 x 125.8 cm). It is estimated at £200,000 - £300,000 (approx. Rs 1.69 crore - Rs 2.54 crore). It is considered one of William Daniell’s finest Indian oils.A collaborative work by the two, featuing the Writers’ Building, Kolkata, among other aquatints from “Oriental Scenery” must be of great interest to history watchers. The Writers’ Building, built in the last quarter of the 18th century, was the office of the writers of the British East India Company, and continues to serve as the seat of power of the present-day West Bengal government. The aquatint is estimated at £3,000 - £5,000 (approx. Rs 2.54 lakh - Rs 4.24 lakh).The details of the Daniells’ work at the upcoming Christie’s auction are as follows:* Lot 13, T. and W. Daniell, “A Picturesque Voyage to India by Way of China” Lot Description: “Watering Place Anger Point Straights of Sunda,” by Thomas Daniell, pencil and watercolour on paper watermarked (fleur-de-lys in shield), 36cm x 52cm. Estimate: £5,000 - £8,000* Lot 35, “A Chinese of the lower class,” William Daniell, 1892, pencil, pen and sepia ink and watercolour on paper, 17.8cm x 12.1cm. Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000* Lot 50, “Shivala Ghaut and Cheyt Singh’s House near Benares,” William Daniell, oil on canvas, 79.5cm x 125.8cm. Estimate: £200,000 - £300,000* Lot 51, “Mosque at Muttra in the province of Agra,” by William Daniell, oil and pencil on paper laid down on canvas, 53.5cm x 86.5cm. Estimate: £100,000 - £150,000* Lot 52, “The principal gaut at Hurdwar, Northern India,”William Daniell, oil on canvas, 68.5cm x 97cm. Estimate: £120,000 - £180,000* Lot 53, “The River Khoh, on the road to Srinagar, Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh,” by Thomas Daniell, oil on canvas, 58.8cm x 45.4cm. Estimate: £20,000 - £30,000* Lot 54, “The Waterfall at Papanasam, Tinnevelly District (Tamil Nadu),” Thomas Daniell, oil on canvas, 71cm x 91.5cm. Estimate: £80,000 - £120,000 * Lot 59, “The Writers’ Building, Calcutta; An Excavated Temple on the Island of Salsette; S.W. View of the Fakeers Rock in the River Ganges, near Sultaungunge; Jagannâtha Sabha; View of Indra Sabhâ, looking outward; and N.E. View of Kailâsa (Abbey Travel 420, nos. 30, 54, 60, 105, 108, 115),” Thomas Daniell and William Daniell, handcoloured aquatints from “Oriental Scenery.” Estimate: £3,000 - £5,000 — For details, visit www.christies.comClick on the slideshow for a look at the work by Daniells
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