Plate Description:
No. VII. SOUTH EAST VIEW OF FORT ST. GEORGE, MADRAS.
This view is taken on the beach southward of the Fort of Madras; the larger building to the right of the flag-staff is the new exchange, and the higher one to the left is the church, to which a spire has been added since the taking of this view in the year 1793, when the other five views of Madras were likewise drawn. In the distance is seen part of the Madras roads; and in the foreground the sea breaking in with its usual turbulency on this coast; the only vessels in use for passing through the surge to communicate with the shipping, are called Massoola boats. They are flat bottomed, and built without iron, the planks being sewn together with line made from the outer coat of the cocoa nut.
Thomas Daniell and his nephew William Daniell were the leading painters and engravers of Indian architecture and landscapes in the 18th-19th centuries. They were the first English artists to produce topographical views of India in their “Views in Calcutta” in 1788. Their best-known work is the monumental series “Oriental Scenery,” comprising 144 large hand-colored aquatint engravings in six volumes, which was published in London over between 1795-1808. William Daniell published a second edition of “Oriental Scenery” in 1812-1816, called the Quarto Edition, which featured smaller uncolored aquatint engravings, including this example.
See also M.2010.158a-b, M.2013.137.2a-b, M.2013.137.3a-b, and M.2013.137.4.
