Lot Essay
Longcroft's date and place of birth are unknown. He was a friend, and possible pupil, of John Zoffany and they visited Lucknow together in 1784 - the year after Longcroft's arrival in India. He did not develop his career as a professional artist, though he continued to sketch; instead Longcroft purchased an estate in the agriculturally rich region of Koil near Aligarh, north-west of Lucknow, and became an indigo planter. His relative Thomas Twining (who later established the tea company) stayed with him in 1794 and gave a fond account of his eccentric host in his journal. Seven hundred drawings were auctioned upon Longcroft's death and many others entered the Twining Collection; six of the seven now in the India Office Library have this provenance.
Sal (Shorea robusta) is a handsome variety of tree that colonises those areas in which it is planted. The trees can reach thirty-five metres and their trunks are distinguished by deep verticle furrows that dent the smooth bark - perhaps discernable in the present drawing.
Sal (Shorea robusta) is a handsome variety of tree that colonises those areas in which it is planted. The trees can reach thirty-five metres and their trunks are distinguished by deep verticle furrows that dent the smooth bark - perhaps discernable in the present drawing.