Fort William with the Esplanade, Calcutta

Details

Attributed to William Prinsep (1794-1874)
Fort William with the Esplanade, Calcutta
indistinctly signed (lower left)
pencil and watercolour with scratching out
9½ x 14 1/8 in. (24.1 x 35.8 cm.)

Provenance

with Spink, London, November 1977, where purchased for the present collection.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

The 'new' Fort William was begun in 1758 during the governorship of Robert Clive. Its riverside position located it to the south of the old Fort. The surrounding jungle was cleared for military purposes. William Hodges, who was commissioned to paint Esplanade Row, described the building as 'in strength and correctness of design, superior to any in India'.

Here we see the Hoogly busy with river traffic. The two hefty three-masters on the far left, one of which is laid up (her top masts are down), are East Indiamen.

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