130 - THOMAS DANIELL (BRITISH 1749-1840)SCENE IN THE MOUNTAINS NEAR CAPE COMORIN, TAMIL NADUOil on canvasSigned and dated '1823' (to tomb lower left)184 x 142cm (72¼ x 55¾in.)Provenance:With Spink & Sons, LondonSale, Christie's, Important English Pictures, 24 November 1978, lot 150Exhibited:London, Royal Academy, 1823, no. 310London, Colnaghi, English Drawings, Watercolours and Paintings, 14 November - 7 December 1973, no. 126Literature:M. Shellim, Oil Paintings of India and the East by Thomas Daniell RA (1749-1840) and William Daniell RA (1769-1837), London, 1979, p. 95, no. TD107For many aspiring individuals, including young artists, the lure ofIndia by the last quarter of the 18th century was formidable;British expansion allowed for new opportunities where fortunes could be made.Political affairs in the region were closely followed in England, by contrastvery little was known of India’s culture and history. In 1779, Thomas Daniell’sbrother died leaving behind a wife, Mary, and son, William. Inspired by fellowartist William Hodges, who had journeyed to India between 1780-83, the uncleand nephew saw an opportunity to capitalise on this lack of aesthetic knowledgeand in 1785, set sail for India.The journey was a long one, with the Daniell’s finally arriving inCalcutta early in 1786, where they stayed for two years, building up funds andperfecting the relatively new technique of aquatinting. By 1788, they werefinancially secure enough to embark on their first tour, which took them alongthe Ganges from Bengal and Bihar, Kanpur, and along to Delhi to the foot of theHimalayas, returning by the end of 1791.By March 1792, they were ready to set off again, this time sailing downthe East Coast to Madras, and on to Bombay. It was during this second voyagethat the uncle and nephew duo visited Comorin that August. In theirdiaries they note: To the southernmost point of the peninsula of India hasbeen given the name of Cape Comorin, and this appellation navigators havetransferred to the lofty mountain situated not far distant from its extremity,which is a well known and conspicuous landmark to those that navigate theEastern coast of the peninsula. (p. 177, Archer).Unfortunately, not long after their trip to Comorin, war broke outbetween France and England and the Daniells were forced back to London viaPeking, eventually returning in September 1794.Once back in London, the Daniells used the hundreds of watercolourswhich they had produced over the last eight years to produce, initially, twoseries of aquatints. In total, 144 plates were produced for the OrientalScenery series between 1795 and 1808. At first, these were issued in pairsor groups, with the intention that they could be collected into six volumeswith 24 plates each. In addition, the artists’ more considered views on Indianarchitecture and scenery are expressed in the letterpress which accompanied theplates, making those volumes even more valuable to contemporary audiences as asource of information about India’s cultural history.As demand grew, and with a reputation for being unrivalled leaders intheir field, Thomas and William’s work was highly sought after. As well asaquatints Thomas Daniell produced twelve oil paintings between 1795 and 1798,which were subsequently exhibited at the Royal Academy. He was elected a RoyalAcademician a year later in 1799. William joined him in 1822, his election frustratingJohn Constable’s application for the same year.The result was that both Oriental Scenery and any associatedworks by the Daniells greatly contributed to the popularisation of the Indianstyle; in his book Household Furniture (1087), Thomas Hope referencedthe ‘Daniells’ Indian Views’ when designing his Indian or Blue Drawing Room athis Duchess Street mansion in London. Among their early patrons was the 3rdEarl of Egremont who commissioned six ‘subline’ and ‘picturesque’ subjects forPetworth, Richard Colt Hoare of Stourhead in Wiltshire who purchased three oilsbetween 1804-1815, and Sir Charles Cockerell who, as well as commissioning aset of six oils, also employed Thomas Daniell to design the farm buildings anddairy for his new Indian-style house Sezincote in the Cotswolds.Further sets of aquatints followed and more oils were exhibited by Thomasat the Royal Academy from 1821, including lot 130 Scene in the mountainsnear Cape Comorin, Tamul Nadu offered here (Royal Academy, 1823, no.300 as Scenein the mountains near Cape Comorin, East Indies). Although the exact numberis not known, it is thought that between them Thomas and William must haveproduced around 450 oil paintings. Of which only around 150 have beenidentified and located with the vast majority being by Thomas (Shellim, p.25).As such there is continued potential for rediscoveries, as is the case with lot131, Hilly Landscape in India with a Tiger chasing a Sarow Deer Across aPool, which has recently been fullyauthenticated by Charles Greig who notes that the subjectmatter of wild an