Hunting the Serow in India

The English uncle and nephew duo, Thomas and William Daniell, arrived in India in 1785 and over the next ten years, travelled extensively, sketching and painting and creating some of the earliest and famous views of India. This oil painting by Thomas Daniell is unusual since most of his works focused on architecture and landscape. Probably a special commission from a patron, it depicts a hunting scene, with a deer caught midstream by three hunting dogs attacking from all sides. The hunters remain on the riverbank, hiding behind trees and boulders while a figure on the right has raised his gun to fire.