Artwork
Pier Pointee, near Rajmal
Pier Pointee, near Rajmal is a drawing by the Romanticist artist Robert Captain Smith. It dates from 1830 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Captain Robert Smith’s pencil drawing records a rocky pier as seen from the water.
About this work
Overview
Captain Robert Smith’s pencil drawing records a rocky pier as seen from the water. It forms part of a series of sixty‑five illustrations he produced while travelling the Ganges between Calcutta and Cawnpore in 1828–29, later supplemented with sketches from Delhi, Agra and Lucknow.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a quiet river scene: a modest boat drifts near a stone pier, while a cliff and trees rise in the distance beneath a clear sky. The composition emphasizes the tranquility of the riverine landscape and the modest scale of human activity within it.
Technique & Style
Rendered in graphite, the drawing employs a graduated range of tones to model form and space. Darker strokes define the cliff and foliage, whereas lighter washes suggest water and sky, creating a sense of depth characteristic of early nineteenth‑century Romantic landscape drawing.
History & Provenance
Smith, formerly of the 44th Regiment, retired to Ireland in 1833 but continued to refine his unpublished travel journal until 1845. The museum acquired the drawing in 1915, where it remains part of the collection documenting British officers’ visual records of India.
Artist & collection
