Thomas Daniell RA, Hindoo Temples at Bindrabund, East Indies

Hindoo Temples at Bindrabund, East Indies, 1797

Thomas Daniell RA (1749 - 1840)

RA Collection: Art

Bindrabund, today known as Vrindaban, is on the Yamuna River about seventy miles south of Delhi, and is associated with the youth of the Hindu god Krishna. A hugely popular pilgrim site, it contains almost 1,000 separate shrines mostly dating from the sixteenth century. Early in 1789, Thomas Daniell and his nephew William Daniell arrived at Vrindaban. Here they were immediately impressed by the ‘beautiful and singular Pagodas’, finding them ‘most elegantly sculptured; certain carved ribs go equidistant into small figures prettily filled with rosettes’.

Daniell painted Indian landscapes with greater topographical accuracy than Hodges, and depicts in some detail the ghauts, or steps leading down to the river and the red sandstone temples seen behind. Daniell’s interest in India was not to represent its contemporary life and customs but rather to enhance the grandeur of these ancient sites and to respond to the growing interest of an audience at home.

Object details

Title
Hindoo Temples at Bindrabund, East Indies
Artist/designer
Thomas Daniell RA (1749 - 1840)
Date
1797
Object type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions

1023 mm x 1380 mm x 26 mm

Collection
Royal Academy of Arts
Object number
03/1331
Acquisition
Diploma Work given by Thomas Daniell RA accepted 1799

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