A LARGE AND IMPORTANT ALBUM OF WATERCOLOURS OF COSTUMES, CRAFTSMEN, TRADES, PROCESSIONS AND DIGNITARIES, INDIA, VELLORE, COMPANY SCHOOL, CIRCA 1832-35

Watercolour with gold on 35 large sheets of paper watermarked ‘J Whatman Turkey Mill’ and 'Ruse & Turner', index at beginning written in a fine 19th-century English hand in black ink, green paper doublures, original gilt- and blind-stamped black morocco covers

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This large Company School album is remarkable for the size, quality and range of subjects of the watercolours, and also for the fact that the painting on sheet XXXIV is a self-portrait of the artist engaged in painting, while an assistant holds this very album under his arm. Furthermore, on sheet XXXIII is a depiction of a colonial-style bungalow in a large garden entitled 'May Place, Vellore', which is surely a painting of the residence of the East India Company official who commissioned the album.

The quality of the watercolours is very fine and superior to the majority of related productions of Company patronage, showing a strong attention to detail as well as a lively appreciation of movement and action in the processional scenes.

The album consists of thirty-five large sheets of Whatman and Ruse & Turner paper (of varying dates between 1821 and 1828) bound in its fine original leather covers. Most sheets bear three groups of two figures representing a variety of trades, crafts and individual characters, each with a male and female figure. There are also several group scenes of dancers, four processional scenes (‘Procession of Vistnu’ (sic); ‘Procession of Sivah’; ‘Procession of a Hindoo Marriage’ and ‘Procession of a Mussulman Marriage’), a sheet of four agricultural scenes, the aforementioned view of May Place, Vellore, and the self-portrait of the artist. The portraits of dignitaries include the former King of Kandy, his son, and the Prime Minister of Ava. There is one sheet with portraits of six soldiers of the Madras regiments of Horse Artillery, Light Cavalry, Rifle Corps, Pioneer Corp, Infantry and Golundauz (a gunner of artillery).

The focus of the album, as well as its pictorial style, is the southern and eastern regions of India. Vellore itself, mentioned on sheet XXXIII, is on the Palar River in modern-day Tamil Nadu, between Madras and Bangalore. Other aspects of the album also relate to this general area of India: on sheet XXVII is a depiction of a 'Seringapatam Mussulman', the uniforms of the soldiers depicted on sheet XXXI belong to Madras regiments (a watercolour of circa 1835 showing two identical uniforms and labelled 'Madras Light Cavalry' and 'Madras Horse Artillery' is in the National Army Museum, London, Inv.1965-04-18-2) and the title given by the artist to the self-portrait on sheet XXXIV includes the term 'Moochee' which usually means a shoemaker or leather-worker, but in South India can also mean an artist or gilder (see Hobson Jobson, p.579).

A very similar album, of almost identical dimensions and with a similar number of watercolours, is in the India Office Collections, British Library, London (Add.Or.39-70). It is described by Mildred Archer as "Probably by a Tanjore artist, working at Vellore, c.1828". Several of the figural scenes are identical to those in the present album, including one of a group of dancers, which is identical in composition to the 'Mussulman Dancing Girls' on sheet XXVIII of the present album (Add.Or.62, see Archer 1972, pl.8). In addition, the British Library album contains a painting of the bungalow of the Fort Adjutant at Vellore, recalling the watercolour on sheet XXXIII of the present album labelled 'May Place, Vellore'. It is probable that the same artist produced both albums.

The present album's inclusion on sheet XXXV of a depiction of "The Son of the late Ex-King of Kandy and his two Uncles" is particularly interesting. After his deposition in 1815 by the British, the king and his family were transferred to Madras and from there to Vellore, where they were kept under glorified house arrest in a building inside Vellore Fort which is still known today as the Kandi Mahal.

The fact that the family was kept in Vellore Fort is clearly the reason for the inclusion of this painting of his son on sheet XXXV, since it would have had direct local relevance, and this, in addition to the inclusion of a specific Vellore building on sheet XXXIII, helps confirm the location of production of the album as Vellore itself (as suggested by Mildred Archer in relation to the sister album in the British Library). It also allows us to narrow the date of production, since the title of the image on sheet XXXV clearly indicates that the ex-King had already died, meaning the album must have been produced after January 30th 1832.

The full list of watercolours is as follows (copied verbatim from the index at the beginning of the album):

No. I.                 Procession of  VISTNU
No. II.                Procession of SIVAH
No. III.               Gentoo Bramin
                        Streevystoom Bramin
                        Maharatah Bramin
No. IV.             Rachavar
                        Rajapool
                        Goozraul
No. V.               Banyan
                        Barywar
                        Singavunt
No. VI.             Buljavar
                        Bungadee Maker
                        Moodaliar
No. VII.                         Ryot
                        Kummavar
                        Bricklayer
No. VIII.            Silk Weaver
                        Cotton Weaver
                        Taylor
No. IX.               Iron Smith
                        Carpenter
                        Gold Smith
No. X.                Cauyet
                        Mahratah Taylor
                        Moochee
No. XI.               Oil Monger
                        Cowkeeper
                        Cubaudy
No. XII.             Palankeen Bearer
                        Fisherman
                        Matt Maker
No. XIII.             Taddy Drawer
                        Coorpavar or Cumbly Maker
                        Cortee or Malabar Basket Maker
No. XIV.            Pott Maker
                        Barber
                        Washerman
No. XV.                         Tank Digger
                        Korchavar or Basket Maker
                        Lumbaudy or Brinjarie
No. XVI.            Poligar Peon
                        Shicaree or Huntsman
                        Nuckul Jogy
No. XVII.           Moochy or Shoe Maker
                        Village Toty
                        Chuckler
No. XVIII.          Byrauggee
                        Gosayee
                        Fakeer
No. XIX.             Sautany
                        Pundaurum
                        Dausary
No. XX.             Poojawry
                        Maryamah Poojary
                        Cur Cur Bundah
No. XXI.             Agricultural Occupations
No. XXII.            Sawmy Bull
                        Haukery
                        Puckally and Bullock
No. XXIII.           Hindoo Dancing Girls
No. XXIV.          Procession of a Hindoo Marriage
No. XXV.           Ex King of Kandy
No. XXVi.          Kee wonghee or Prime Minister of Ava
                        Burmese Officer
                        Burmese Woman
No. XXVII.         Navayet
                        Seringapatam Mussulman
                       Lubbavar
No. XXVIII.         Mussulman Dancing Girls
No. XXIX.           Procession of a Mussulman Marriage
No. XXX.            Duffadar
                       Hircarrah
                       Mahal Nazers
                       Native Doctor  
                       Dauyee
No. XXXI.           Trooper of Horse Artillery
                       Trooper to Light Cavarly
                       Sepoy of Rifle Corps
                       Sepoy of Pioneer
                       Sepoy of Infantry
                       Sepoy of Golundauz
No. XXXII.          Butler Teeroovaugadum Moodily
                       Dressing Servant Dassy
                       Taylor Madara
                       Waiting Servant Modeen
                       Maty Orlando
                      Cook Chinatomby
No. XXXIII.          May Place Vellore
No. XXXIV.         Yellapah Picture Moochee
No. XXXV.          The Son of the late Ex-King of Kandy & his two Uncles