Lot Essay
Thomas Longcroft, a kinsman of the tea exporter Thomas Twining, settled in Uttar Pradesh in 1783, and painted with Johann Zoffany, R.A., who worked in India between 1783-1789.
The mosque, depicted here under construction, was adjacent to the Bara Imambara, partially visible in the background of the watercolour to the left. Designed by Kifayat-ullah for the Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula in 1784 and constructed so that his subjects might earn enough food during famine, the Great Imambara is one of the largest vaulted halls in the world, measuring fifty metres long by fifteen metres high. An Imambara is a general term for a building in which the festival of Muharram is celebrated. Frequently, as in this instance, it serves as a mausoleum: the Nawab and his architect are interred in the main chamber. The mosque, with its two minarets, encloses the west side of the complex.
By the end of the 18th century, Oudh had surpassed Delhi as the major seat of Islamic power in northern India and its capital, Lucknow, became a major centre of a new Islamic architecture. The Nawab, who reigned from 1775-1797, also built the imposing Rumi Darwaza, or 'Turkish Gate', adjacent to the Imambara causing the whole to be likened to 'Kublai Khan's fabled Xanadu', by W.H. Russell, The Times correspondent in 1857.
Four examples of watercolours by Thomas Longcroft may be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum. For a portrait of Asaf-ud-Daula see lot 153.
We are grateful to Dr. Giles Tillotson for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.
The mosque, depicted here under construction, was adjacent to the Bara Imambara, partially visible in the background of the watercolour to the left. Designed by Kifayat-ullah for the Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula in 1784 and constructed so that his subjects might earn enough food during famine, the Great Imambara is one of the largest vaulted halls in the world, measuring fifty metres long by fifteen metres high. An Imambara is a general term for a building in which the festival of Muharram is celebrated. Frequently, as in this instance, it serves as a mausoleum: the Nawab and his architect are interred in the main chamber. The mosque, with its two minarets, encloses the west side of the complex.
By the end of the 18th century, Oudh had surpassed Delhi as the major seat of Islamic power in northern India and its capital, Lucknow, became a major centre of a new Islamic architecture. The Nawab, who reigned from 1775-1797, also built the imposing Rumi Darwaza, or 'Turkish Gate', adjacent to the Imambara causing the whole to be likened to 'Kublai Khan's fabled Xanadu', by W.H. Russell, The Times correspondent in 1857.
Four examples of watercolours by Thomas Longcroft may be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum. For a portrait of Asaf-ud-Daula see lot 153.
We are grateful to Dr. Giles Tillotson for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.