DRISHYAKALA

They show an urban landscape over which the Mughal emperor of the day, Shah Alam, had nominal but no actual control, where buildings were more likely to decay than to be preserved or replaced. Indeed two of their subjects have since disappeared.​

But attracted as they were to ruins, they were impressed by the grandeur and stateliness of Mughal architecture. Their views of Mughal mosques and tombs presented to the eyes of skeptical Englishmen evidence of an empire and a civilization that demanded respect.

The Daniells visited Agra and Delhi in 1789, some fourteen years before those cities were captured by British forces under Lord Lake.​

They show an urban landscape over which the Mughal emperor of the day, Shah Alam, had nominal but no actual control, where buildings were more likely to decay than to be preserved or replaced. Indeed two of their subjects have since disappeared.​

But attracted as they were to ruins, they were impressed by the grandeur and stateliness of Mughal architecture. Their views of Mughal mosques and tombs presented to the eyes of skeptical Englishmen evidence of an empire and a civilization that demanded respect.

The Daniells visited Agra and Delhi in 1789, some fourteen years before those cities were captured by British forces under Lord Lake.​

They show an urban landscape over which the Mughal emperor of the day, Shah Alam, had nominal but no actual control, where buildings were more likely to decay than to be preserved or replaced. Indeed two of their subjects have since disappeared.​

But attracted as they were to ruins, they were impressed by the grandeur and stateliness of Mughal architecture. Their views of Mughal mosques and tombs presented to the eyes of skeptical Englishmen evidence of an empire and a civilization that demanded respect.

Their route included a bewildering variety of sites, including ancient cities like Kanauj and Gaya and modern ones like Faizabad and Ramnagar; they saw more examples of Mughal architecture at Allahabad and Chunargarh, and Hindu temples at Agori and Deo; and they included places of natural beauty like the Dhuah Kund waterfall and the boulders at Sultanganj.

Their written notes on these places show an attempt to assimilate a welter of confusing information, to sort things into categories; but they also reveal an alertness to complexity, an awareness that northern India’s overlapping cultures often resist classification.

The Daniells’ gradual return from Garhwal to Calcutta, including long stops at Lucknow and Bhagalpur, took them almost three years between May 1789 and the end of 1791.

Their route included a bewildering variety of sites, including ancient cities like Kanauj and Gaya and modern ones like Faizabad and Ramnagar; they saw more examples of Mughal architecture at Allahabad and Chunargarh, and Hindu temples at Agori and Deo; and they included places of natural beauty like the Dhuah Kund waterfall and the boulders at Sultanganj.

Their written notes on these places show an attempt to assimilate a welter of confusing information, to sort things into categories; but they also reveal an alertness to complexity, an awareness that northern India’s overlapping cultures often resist classification.

The Daniells’ gradual return from Garhwal to Calcutta, including long stops at Lucknow and Bhagalpur, took them almost three years between May 1789 and the end of 1791.

Their route included a bewildering variety of sites, including ancient cities like Kanauj and Gaya and modern ones like Faizabad and Ramnagar; they saw more examples of Mughal architecture at Allahabad and Chunargarh, and Hindu temples at Agori and Deo; and they included places of natural beauty like the Dhuah Kund waterfall and the boulders at Sultanganj.

Their written notes on these places show an attempt to assimilate a welter of confusing information, to sort things into categories; but they also reveal an alertness to complexity, an awareness that northern India’s overlapping cultures often resist classification.

It was no surprise then that prosperous Parsi families were to soon commission portraits of their womenfolk alongside that of their men. Their costumes, particularly the Gara Sari worn by women and distinct head gear of their men render it fairly easy to identify a Parsi sitter.

While several important Parsi commissions were undertaken by European artists, the great majority of Parsi sitters were painted by Indian artists. Clearly the dictates of the community with their preferred European mode of depiction were adhered to by most artists as evidenced by the corpus of material available.​

Clearly the dictates of the community with their preferred European mode of depiction were adhered to by most artists as evidenced by the corpus of material available. A directness of gaze that either met the viewer or looked far to the side seem to have been popular poses.​

The small but significant Parsi community, largely involved in trade and commerce in the big urban centres of the Raj were one of the first communities to adopt western habits and lifestyles. A largely progressive community without the restriction of purdah, meant that Parsi men and women were both seen publicly.​

It was no surprise then that prosperous Parsi families were to soon commission portraits of their womenfolk alongside that of their men. Their costumes, particularly the Gara Sari worn by women and distinct head gear of their men render it fairly easy to identify a Parsi sitter.

While several important Parsi commissions were undertaken by European artists, the great majority of Parsi sitters were painted by Indian artists. Clearly the dictates of the community with their preferred European mode of depiction were adhered to by most artists as evidenced by the corpus of material available.​

Clearly the dictates of the community with their preferred European mode of depiction were adhered to by most artists as evidenced by the corpus of material available. A directness of gaze that either met the viewer or looked far to the side seem to have been popular poses.​

The small but significant Parsi community, largely involved in trade and commerce in the big urban centres of the Raj were one of the first communities to adopt western habits and lifestyles. A largely progressive community without the restriction of purdah, meant that Parsi men and women were both seen publicly.​

It was no surprise then that prosperous Parsi families were to soon commission portraits of their womenfolk alongside that of their men. Their costumes, particularly the Gara Sari worn by women and distinct head gear of their men render it fairly easy to identify a Parsi sitter.

While several important Parsi commissions were undertaken by European artists, the great majority of Parsi sitters were painted by Indian artists. Clearly the dictates of the community with their preferred European mode of depiction were adhered to by most artists as evidenced by the corpus of material available.​

Clearly the dictates of the community with their preferred European mode of depiction were adhered to by most artists as evidenced by the corpus of material available. A directness of gaze that either met the viewer or looked far to the side seem to have been popular poses.​

The small but significant Parsi community, largely involved in trade and commerce in the big urban centres of the Raj were one of the first communities to adopt western habits and lifestyles. A largely progressive community without the restriction of purdah, meant that Parsi men and women were both seen publicly.​

It was no surprise then that prosperous Parsi families were to soon commission portraits of their womenfolk alongside that of their men. Their costumes, particularly the Gara Sari worn by women and distinct head gear of their men render it fairly easy to identify a Parsi sitter.

While several important Parsi commissions were undertaken by European artists, the great majority of Parsi sitters were painted by Indian artists. Clearly the dictates of the community with their preferred European mode of depiction were adhered to by most artists as evidenced by the corpus of material available.​

Clearly the dictates of the community with their preferred European mode of depiction were adhered to by most artists as evidenced by the corpus of material available. A directness of gaze that either met the viewer or looked far to the side seem to have been popular poses.​