WD2999

The Government House, Buitenzorg. 1816.

By Mary Fendall (1794-1886).

Inscribed on back in pencil: ‘The Government House Buitenzorg.’

Pencil; 30 by 40.2 cm.

Note: This, and the four following drawings are by Mary Fendall (17941886), eldest daughter of John Fendall (1761-1818), who succeeded Raffles as Lieutenant-Governor of Java on 12 March 1816. Travers described her in his Journal as a 'well-looking, lively and a sensible agreeable girl',.' She was a competent artist and a sketch-book belonging to her is in the India Office Library (WD534) This begins with drawings made in England, includes a few made during the voyage out to India aboard the ‘James Sibbald’ in 1815, and ends with nineteen drawings of Java. Like the present drawings, many of these are views of the mountains and countryside around Government House, Buitenzorg, where she spent most of her time. Her pencil sketches have a strong individual style with heavy vigorous shading as seen in the drawing here. It is historically interesting for a number of reasons, but primarily because it affords a close view of the architectural detail of the central building of Government House (the only such extant view) and of the covered passage-way with which it was connected to the two wings. This passage-way, as can be seen from the drawing, was open at the front and provided nothing more than a covered walk between the central building and the wings.