Artwork
A verandah beside the ruins of a mosque, Bengal
A verandah beside the ruins of a mosque, Bengal is a drawing by the Romanticist artist George Chinnery. It dates from 7 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The sheet presents a pen-and-ink drawing of an elevated verandah, its roofline punctuated by a series of scalloped arches, positioned directly adjacent to the crumbling remains of a mosque. The composition captures the juxtaposition of an inhabited architectural element with the decay of a religious structure, offering a snapshot of a specific locale in Bengal.
Subject & Meaning
The verandah, rendered with careful attention to its ornamental arches, suggests a space of social gathering or shelter, while the adjoining mosque ruins evoke a sense of historical transition. On the reverse side, the artist sketched two studies of an Indian man drawing on a nargila, indicating an interest in everyday customs alongside architectural observation.
Technique & Style
Executed with fine cross‑hatching, the drawing achieves tonal variation and depth through intersecting lines that model both the solid forms of the arches and the textured stone of the ruins. The reverse studies employ looser strokes, emphasizing gesture and movement in the figure’s posture as he inhales from the waterpipe.
History & Provenance
The work is attributed to an unnamed artist who annotated the ruins with a shorthand label identifying them as a mosque, suggesting a personal field sketchbook rather than a formal commission. The paper bears no dates, but the style of the cross‑hatching aligns with late‑19th‑century British colonial drawing practices in the Indian subcontinent.
Context
During the period of British presence in Bengal, many travelers and officials recorded architectural and cultural scenes as part of ethnographic documentation. This drawing reflects that tradition, combining architectural survey with informal genre studies, thereby providing insight into both the built environment and the quotidian life of the region.
Artist & collection
Artist
George Chinnery (Chinese: 錢納利; 5 January 1774 – 30 May 1852) was an English painter who spent most of his life in Asia, especially India and southern China.
A mosque on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, Bangladesh
An Indian village
Part of the old fort: the mosque in the chowk and gate of the Great Katra, Dhaka (Dacca)
Thatched village dwellings, Bengal
A village street, Bengal
Village huts, Bengal
Indian village dwellings with a humped ox
A ruined building in Bengal, with a figure and an ox and cart
A dilapidated Indian village dwelling
A domed tomb in India, with steps leading down to water
A village dwelling, Bengal
Indian village dwellings