Lot Essay
William Farquharson was a senior merchant of the East India Company. According to Hickey he bought his country house from Sir John Macpherson, who had spent a brief period as Governor-General between Hastings and Cornwallis. Lord Valentia, who landed there in 1803 and found Mr. Graham's carriage awaiting him, describes the house as being 'about 5 miles from Calcutta'.
The Antwerp artist Balthazar Solvyns arrived in Calcutta in 1791. He found difficulty securing patronage as a portrait painter and made a living through teaching amateurs and undertaking odd jobs such as cleaning and restoring pictures. With the encouragement of the Orientalist, Sir William Jones, he conceived the idea of producing a huge series of coloured etchings entitled A Collection of Two Hundred and Fifty Coloured Etchings Descriptive of the Manners, Customs and Dress of the Hindoos. Although it was not a success, owing in part to the inferior quality of the etchings, Solvyns' work had an unexpected influence over Indian artists painting for British patrons. (see lot 129 for an album of drawings after Solvyns). Not only did artists in Calcutta and Bengal look to him for stylistic guidance, they also became familiar with subjects that appealed to Western taste. In 1804, Solvyns left for France. Finally in 1815, he returned to Belgium and was given work as a captain at the port of Antwerp where he remained until his death in 1824. Oil paintings by Solvyns are extremely rare. Only a handful are known. This pair of views will be included in Dr. Robert L. Hardgrave Junior's forthcoming book A Portrait of Hindus; Balthazar Solvyns in Calcutta 1791-1894.
The Antwerp artist Balthazar Solvyns arrived in Calcutta in 1791. He found difficulty securing patronage as a portrait painter and made a living through teaching amateurs and undertaking odd jobs such as cleaning and restoring pictures. With the encouragement of the Orientalist, Sir William Jones, he conceived the idea of producing a huge series of coloured etchings entitled A Collection of Two Hundred and Fifty Coloured Etchings Descriptive of the Manners, Customs and Dress of the Hindoos. Although it was not a success, owing in part to the inferior quality of the etchings, Solvyns' work had an unexpected influence over Indian artists painting for British patrons. (see lot 129 for an album of drawings after Solvyns). Not only did artists in Calcutta and Bengal look to him for stylistic guidance, they also became familiar with subjects that appealed to Western taste. In 1804, Solvyns left for France. Finally in 1815, he returned to Belgium and was given work as a captain at the port of Antwerp where he remained until his death in 1824. Oil paintings by Solvyns are extremely rare. Only a handful are known. This pair of views will be included in Dr. Robert L. Hardgrave Junior's forthcoming book A Portrait of Hindus; Balthazar Solvyns in Calcutta 1791-1894.