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Lot Essay
A Scotsman who arrived in India aged only 14, Moffatt established himself as an artist and engraver and worked primarily on private commissions. An advertisement in the Calcutta Gazette in 1797 offering to produce 'Picturesque copper-plate engravings' led to a series of views of Calcutta and its environs. Many show buildings seen across the River Hoogly, rendered with economy and a feel for the geometry of composition.
Although a print made after this view of the Kerdah temple is on paper watermarked 1794, it is likely that the drawing was made circa 1800, and was published with views of Calcutta, Berhampore, Monghyr and Benares between 1805 and 1810. The print is listed in P. Godrej and P. Rohatgi, Scenic Splendours: India through the printed image, London, 1989, p. 157, no. ii (I).
Although a print made after this view of the Kerdah temple is on paper watermarked 1794, it is likely that the drawing was made circa 1800, and was published with views of Calcutta, Berhampore, Monghyr and Benares between 1805 and 1810. The print is listed in P. Godrej and P. Rohatgi, Scenic Splendours: India through the printed image, London, 1989, p. 157, no. ii (I).