Tomb at Srirangapatna

A fine and rare hand-coloured etching and aquatint by H. Merke, after a painting by James Hunter from “A Brief History of Ancient and Modern India” published Jan 1st 1804, by Edward Orme, His majesty’s printseller, 50 New Bond Street, London. The aquatint is titled “Music Gallery at the Entrance of the Mosque, Seringapatam.” but Hunter was probably mistaken in the title and this is more likely to be one of the entrance gateways to Tipu’s family mausoleum. In common with many other works of travel and topography of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the image was etched almost entirely in aquatint, which produces a soft tonal quality.
Lieutenant James Hunter (1755 - 1792) served in the Royal British Artillery in India and took part in the campaigns against Tipu Sultan, under Marquess Cornwallis. Hunter worked as a military artist, and his sketches portray aspects of military and everyday life. After the signing of the Treaty of Seringapatnam (Srirangapatna), Hunter took permission from Tipu Sultan to sketch the environs and monuments of his kingdom, for his collection of illustrations titled “Picturesque Scenery in the Kingdom of Mysore”, which were later engraved and published in the “A Brief History of Ancient and Modern India”.
Henri Merke was a Swiss engraver, a specialist in aquatint, and worked in London between 1800 - 1820.
Edward Orme (1775 - 1848) was a British engraver, painter and publisher of illustrated books.
The same image has been sold at Christies and is also in the collection of the British Museum.

The engraving measures 9.25 x 12 inches without the mount and 14 x 16.25 inches with the mount.