View of a Mosque and Gateway in Upper Bengal, ca. 1820–21
Sita Ram (Indian, active 1810–22)
India (Bengal) Watercolor on paper

Sita Ram, painter of this idyllic scene, was hired to record the travels of Francis Rawdon, the governor-general of Bengal (1814–21). Sita Ram had trained in Murshidabad and was particularly skilled in depicting architecture; he prepared a total of ten albums for Rawdon, but no other of his works survive. This particular picture was probably painted during Rawdon's tour of Bengal in the winter of 1820–21, and appears to be a composite of monuments from the Gaur district.

This painting is likely part of a series from two important dispersed albums recording views of the Ganges in Bengal and of monuments in Agra. It is characterized by a Europeanizing style and exhibits a mastery of European watercolor techniques, suggesting that Sita Ram had contact with distinguished artists such as George Chinnery and Charles D'Oyly.


Source : The Metropolitan Museum of Art.