Lot Essay
In 1592 Rajmahal was made the capital of Bengal by the Mughal Emperor Akbar's governor, Raja Man Singh of Amber. The choice reflected its strategic position at a bend in the Ganges, and made certain the final demise of Gaur as a major city (see lot 1). Later, Rajmahal was substantially embellished with grand buildings - including the bridge depicted here - by Shah Shuja (son of the Emperor Shah Jehan), who served as governor from 1639. The bridge survives today (indeed it is still in use); in reality it has six arches rather than three: the Daniells have compressed it for the sake of the composition. The Daniells were in Rajmahal from 8 to 10 October 1788; their visit was prompted by the example of William Hodges, and like him they were delighted to find 'many very picturesque views indeed' (Journal). No aquatint was made from this watercolour, but there is a closely related oil painting by Thomas in the Tate Gallery, London (see Shellim, 1979, TD117; Rohatgi and Godrej, 1995, p.65).