'Water Gate. Oodipore. India - January 1879'

Oil painting on paper depicting the water-gate at Udaipur by Marianne North dated January 1879.

Initially Marianne North (1830-1890) only painted botanical specimens and travelled around the world in search of interesting subject matter. She visited India in 1877-79 and completed over 200 paintings whilst there, painting landscape views as well. Udaipur is the new capital of the Mewar State (Chittor was sacked in 1567) and was founded by Maharana Udai Singh (ruled 1567-72) of the Sisodia Rajputs. It is located on the east bank of Pichola Lake and the town is dominated by the main royal residence in Udaipur, the City Palace. This consists of an impressive series of buildings in the Rajput style, flanked by octagonal corner towers surmounted by cupolas. Inside the palace is a maze of reception halls, residential suites and internal courts. On the lake there are many palaces built on small islands that were used as summer retreats and pleasure pavilions. In her autobiography, 'Recollections of a happy life' of 1892, Marianne North wrote: "Then we walked down a steep street to the water-gate, and the full glory of the lovely lake burst upon us, with its distant islands of palm-trees and marble palaces, and its nearer orangery surrounded by white marble arches and pavilions with exquisite tracery. Still nearer, palaces, gardens, and gates, all reflected in the still blue waters, and over all the pale salmon-coloured hills, with their lilac shadows, so faint, yet so pure in colour."

Copyright © The British Library Board