Osian's Auction Catalogue Creative India Series 1 Bengal | December 2011

6 W illiam W oods (J nr .) 1774 – 1857 “Panoramic Views of Calcutta” Lithographed by and after WilliamWoods (Jnr.) Coloured lithographs, 1831-33 8.5 x 14.4 in (21.5 x 36.5 cm) Provenance Private Collector, Mumbai. Acquired from Christie’s (London) in 2008. ` 200,000 – 300,000 US$ 4,000 – 6,000 (Lot of 4) a b c d 1780 1790 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2011 “These views are extremely interesting; they are all well executed, and convey an accurate idea of the sumptuous residences occupied by part of the European community at Calcutta. An observant eye will soon mark the contrast between the degree of splendour attaching to the private residences from that of public edifices… No old retired [British resident of India] should be without these admirable representations. They call up so many exquisite visions of the past that the mind seems haunted by a spell while gazing upon them, almost too fascinating to wish it to be broken.” [From East India Magazine (March 1831), rpt. in Godrej, Pheroza & Pauline Rohatgi [1989]. Scenic Splendours: India Through the Printed Image. London: The British Library & Arnold Publishers; pp.40-41.]