Ryacotta, in the Barramah'l

London: published by Thomas Daniell, 1802. Aquatint by and after Thomas & William Daniell, coloured by hand, on 'Whatman' wove paper. Image size: 16 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches; 21 1/8 x 29 1/8 inches. A very fine view of the Barramah'l region that had just recently been wrested from Tippoo Sultan's grasp when the Daniells visited.

"Rayakottai formed part of a chain of military outposts used by Tipu Sultan's forces on their campaigns in the Tamil country. A British flag flying proudly from a lookout halfway up the hill proclaims the recent British victory. Rings of walls encircling the central granite rock at successive levels were clearly visible to the Daniells, but can hardly be traced now" (Martinelli/Michell p.144). The Daniells' Oriental Scenery is considered to be the finest illustrated works on India. Thomas Daniell and his nephew William spent nine years in India making studies, sketches and drawings of the scenery, architecture, and antiquities that graced the countryside. They then devoted a further thirteen years to publishing their remarkably accurate aquatints. In Britain, the impact was explosive. A cult of Indian architecture, landscaping and interior decoration arose, with the Royal Pavilion at Brighton as its centerpiece. The Daniells gave the English public their first accurate look at the exotic sub-continent. Their great achievement still lies in their ability to blend the picturesque with the real, resulting in images that capture the European taste for the sublime landscape, while still remaining faithful to their subjects. The Daniells brought the romance of the English landscape to the antiquities of India and provided England with an accurate vision of this wondrous country. Consisting of one hundred and forty-four views, published in six parts, the work was issued in seven stages: three sets of twenty-four plates titled Oriental Scenery with title dates of 1795, 1797, and 1801; twelve plates titled Antiquities of India dated 1799; twenty-four plates titled Hindoo Excavations dated 1803; twenty-four plates titled Views in Hindoostan dated 1807; and twelve further plates of Antiquities of India published without a title page in 1808. All plates were engraved by the Daniells and all are taken from their drawings save the twenty-four plates of Hindoo Excavations, which are after drawings by James Wales.

Abbey Travel II.420 no.88; cf. Lowndes I, p.588; Martinelli/Michell India Yesterday and today ''92 Rayakottai, fort'; cf. RIBA 799-804; cf. Sutton The Daniells (1954) p.156; cf. Tooley 172.