Sculpture of Nandi at the French rocks at Mysore

The photograph was produced using the albumen printing process, a common 19th‑century method that employed egg whites to bind silver salts to paper, yielding fine detail and a characteristic glossy surface. The monochrome rendering highlights the texture of the stone and the surrounding rock formation.

Taken in the 1800s, the image documents a period when British colonial interest in Indian art and architecture prompted extensive photographic surveys. The print is now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection, where it contributes to the institution’s holdings of early photographic records of South Asian monuments.

Located near Mysore, the French Rocks area contains several historic religious sites. The Nandi sculpture, carved from local stone, would have originally stood at a temple precinct, serving as a focal point for worshippers approaching Shiva’s shrine.