An aquatint plate from the folio “Oriental Drawings: Sketched between the Years 1791 and 1798,” after Captain Charles Gold, by John Hassell, Thomas Medland and others. This aquatint is untitled but is dated with “Published by G. & W. Nicol Pall Mall , Oct 1st 1801”. C. Cole’s signature also appears to the left of the image. The image depicts the entrance to the Lalbagh (which means “beloved garden”) in Srirangapatna, that was created by Hyder Ali, Tipu’s father. This was destroyed by the British and so this makes the print a rare historical image. 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.
Captain Charles Gold (d 1842) became a gentlemen cadet in the Royal Artillery in 1776 and a Colonel in 1825. "Oriental Drawings" is a series of images produced from sketches made by the Captain during his time in India between 1791 and 1798, while he was serving in military campaigns against Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. Costumes, scenery, architecture and manners of India (and Indians) were captured in these drawings. Archer in his "The Connoisseur" reported that Gold allowed "none to pass his quarter, without an invitation to walk in, which they always accepted and most readily permitted him to draw their portraits… [Subscribers] may be assured that the dresses are minutely attended to, and characters strictly preserved…".
George Nicol (1740 - 1828) was a bookseller and publisher in 18th-century London. In 1781, he became bookseller to George III, a position he held until 1820.
The engraving measures 10 x 12.25 inches without the mount and 14 x 16 inches with the mount.
Delivery
You may also like
