The Government House, Fort St. George (Abbey 420 no.35; Archer II, pl.9)

II. The Second Tour: "The South", March 1792 to February 1793 (lots 43-58) The lottery of pictures in Calcutta planned by the Daniells, which was announced on 5 January 1792 and drawn on 1 March 1792, was particularly successful. From the proceeds, the Daniells were free to arrange their second journey on a grander scale. They planned to tour the South of India, an area less well known than Upper India and one that was particularly topical. The Third Mysore War, which broke out in 1790 while the Daniells were in Bhagalpur, was creating enormous interest in Britain. By the time the Daniells were preparing to sail for Madras, Lord Cornwallis, after taking Bangalore and securing Tipu Sultan's hill-forts, was preparing to attack Seringapatam, Tipu's capital. On 10 March 1792, the two artists embarked for Madras, where they arrived on 29 March (lots 43-45). With a train, this time, of 48 servants, and travelling in two palanquins, they followed the route by which the Grand Army had set out a year before. Heading west, they passed through Perambur, Kanchipuram and its "most considerable temple", Vellore and its fort, and by the 20th April reached the spectacular Baramahal Hills, arriving in Bangalore via Kolar on 2 May (46, 47). During May, they travelled through the dramatic hilly region south of Bangalore, visiting all the hill-forts recently held out against the British by Tipu's forces, among which were Rayakottai, Verapadrug, Jagdeo (48), and, most impressive of all, Sankaridrug (49). The next month was spent visiting picturesque architecture arriving in Trichinopoly (50, 51) on 5 June 1792, they then travelled south to Madura by way of Dindigul and Atura (49). They arrived at Madura on 3 July, where they felt overwhelmed by the plethora of temples and palaces such as the Thousand-Pillared Hall (52, 53). In the next stage of their journey, they moved into territory outside British control, into the Tinnevelly district, an area unmapped by the European. The scenery, however, was majestic: the hill lines of Srivilliputtur and Sivagiri (54) offered them perfect background for their sketches, whilst they were deeply impressed by the magnificent waterfalls of Kattalam and Papanasam (55). They then made their way to Cape Comorin (56), returning to Madras along the Eastern Coast. After visiting Ramesvaram, they were very impressed by Tanjore's Brihadisvara's temple (57). Continuing North, they passed through Gingee, Mahabalipuram and its richly engraved excavated sanctuaries (58), and eventually arrived back in Madras in November 1792, where they began reworking their sketches. A second lottery was advertised in the Madras Courier on 20 and 27 December 1792, and drawn on 18 February 1793. With its 68 oil paintings and 8 drawings, the sale was a great success.

Details

The Government House, Fort St. George (Abbey 420 no.35; Archer II, pl.9)
The Assembly Rooms on the Race Ground, near Madras (Abbey 420 no.37; Archer II, pl.11)

hand-coloured aquatints, March 1798, September 1798 [the first watermarked 'J.Whatman 1809'], thick paper. light spotting and surface soiling to left-hand margins of the first print
each P.480 x 650mm.
(2)

Lot Essay

March 1792: "The Government house is within the Fort; here the business of the English East India Company is transacted, but the residence of the Governor is at the distance of a mile and a quarter from Madras". Madras, the first of the important British settlements of the Company, was founded in 1639. Within the small fort, the Government House was erected. The view of the Race Ground was sketched on their return from their tour in January 1793.

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