Untitled

Marius Bauer was as gifted a painter as an engraver, and he often combined the aesthetics of the two mediums with pleasing results. In this Untitled work in dry pastel, he creates a vigorous maze of lines to depict intricate architectural details of a Hindu temple. He does not give a bird’s eye view of the temple complex but focuses on the colonnaded verandah of the main temple; the smaller temples of the complex are visible in the background. Interesting are the other details that the Dutch artist captures—an important personage arriving on a palanquin, a monkey stealthily scurrying past the courtyard, and even a European soldier on the steps.