Author

DANIELL, William.

Title

Views in Bootan:
From the drawings of Samuel Davis, Esq.

Published, Date

London,1813.

Description

Landscape folio (42.5 x 56cm). Letterpress title (verso blank), 1 leaf with 14 lines of introduction on recto (verso blank), 6 leaves with explanatory text on rectos (versos blank), tinted engraved additional title with aquatint and integral dedication to Warren Hastings, 6 fine hand-coloured aquatint plates by Daniell after Samuel Davis on Whatman paper; front free endpaper creased, occasional trivial spotting. Original green cloth lettered in gilt on upper cover; covers a little soiled and worn. Provenance: Sir John Francis Davis (armorial bookplate).

Note

FIRST EDITION of 'probably the rarest of William [Daniell]'s sets of engravings' (Abbey). By the late 18th century the British were beginning to supplant the Tibetans as the major external threat to Bhutan, and Anglo-Bhutanese relations became mired in boundary disputes that eventually resulted in Bhutan losing territory in the 19th century. These were the first images of Bhutan to reach the British public. Samuel Davis was the first Western artist to paint in the Himalayas and the only Western artist of distinction to work in Bhutan. Unusually, Daniell has here signed engravings that he produced from the work of another artist - this was apparently because Davis was a good friend.

References

Abbey Travel II, 434; Sutton, 50.

Stock Number

86232