Agra School, circa 1815

The Fort of Agra, with the Delhi Gate

细节
Agra School, circa 1815
The Fort of Agra, with the Delhi Gate
inscribed 'The FORT of AGRA, with the DELHI GATE.' (along lower margin)
pencil and watercolour, heightened with white, within a black-lined border, watermark 'RUSE & TURNER 1815(?)'
21 x 26¾ in. (53.4 x 68 cm.)
来源
The Marquis of Bute.
Christie's London, Visions of India, 25 May 1995, lot 13 (£11,500).

拍品专文

The first riverside tower left of centre is the Muthamman Burj, the Octagonal Tower. To the left of this is the white symmetrical Khas Mahal. On the right can be seen the three domes of the Pearl Mosque.

The view at the top of the sheet shows the same complex but from the opposite side

In the early 19th century artists, trained in the Mughal tradition, began to apply their skills to the western art form of the architectural elevation. The two contrasting traditions combined well, with the Mughal attention to detail fusing with the influence of scientific rationalism. The understanding of perspective was slow to develop, however, and early watercolours by Indian artists display a flat and decorative depiction of the buildings.