DELHI, NORTH INDIA, DATED 1837

Annotated in both Persian and English, these paintings tell an intriguing story. The paintings themselves depict an eclectic selection of Delhi’s historic buildings: the ruined fort of Tughlaqabad and the Qutb Minar, both relics of the Sultanate period, and the late-Mughal Tomb of Safdar Jang. Sixty watercolours of the same size and with matching inscriptions are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it is recorded that they were executed in the office of the East India Company’s Superintendent of Public Buildings and Ancient Monuments in Calcutta around 1836 (IM.43-1923).

A pencil note on the mount of our paintings indicates that they ‘came over in Oct 1837’. However at the top is the date February 1833, though the year crossed out and replaced with 1837. The date in the bottom left corner, 24 July 1838, may refer to when the mount was made. Pieced together, these may tell the story of an English visitor to India in the mid-19^th century and the souvenirs they chose to take back with them. However, though they offer a glimpse into the life of the patron, the identities of the ‘natives of Delhi’ who painted them remain elusive.