Foster 396

A group of temples at Deogarh, Santal Parganas, Bihar, 1782. Temples with trisula and flags at the tops of the ‘sikharas.’

Oil on canvas; 27 by 36 ins (68.5 by 91.5 cms)

Presented by James C. Lyell, 1917

Literature: Steube (1978) no.265

Hodges visited Deogarh with Cleveland during their tour south of Bhagalpur from January to May 1782. An aquatint of these same temples is included in his ‘Select views’ (London, 1786), no. 22, ‘View of the Pagodas at Deogur in the district of Bauglepoor, on the Borders of Beerboom’. He comments ‘There are five curious Pagodas here ... They are simply pyramids, formed by putting stone upon stone, the apex is cut off at about one seventh of the whole height of the complete pyramid, and four of them have small ornamental buildings on the top, evidently of more modern work, which are finished by an ornament made of copper, and gilt, perfectly ressembling the trident of the Greek Neptune.’

This is most probably the picture that belonged to Cleveland and was among the twenty-one paintings sold in Calcutta on 4 February after his death. In a list of these published in the ‘Calcutta gazette,’ 9 January 1794, one was entitled ‘Byjenath or Deo Gur’.

A pencil copy of this painting by Lady Jones is in the Royal Asiatic Society collection, London.