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Thomas and William Daniell, Oriental Scenery. One Hundred and Fifty Views of the Architecture, Antiquities and Landscape Scenery of Hindoostan, London: for the authors, 1816

6 parts in one volume
Letterpress title-page, 40 pages of letterpress descriptive text; 6 aquatint section titles, 144 aquatint plates; all bound in on stubs. 20th-century quarter red morocco, marbled boards
36.5 x 30 x 7.5 cm
39.2 x 32 x 10.5 cm (with slipcase)

The Later folio Edition of Daniells' most celebrated work is a single volume complete set of “the finest illustrated work ever published in India.”

The plates in the present copy are arranged with corresponding text in six sections corresponding to the original six series of the elephant folio edition. Abbey Travel 432; Sutton 13(A).

The work comprises six series of engravings of Indian views, each published under the title as Oriental Scenery. One Hundred and Fifty Views of the Architecture, Antiquities and Landscape Scenery of Hindoostan, with altogether 144 later hand-coloured aquatint plates.

"[Thomas] Daniell, assisted by his nephew [William], produced his best-known work Oriental Scenery (issued in six series) of Indian views making a total of 144 hand-coloured aquatint views of India. These represent Mughal and Dravidian monuments, cityscapes and sublime views of mountains and waterfalls and formed the most extensive work of its kind, finding subscribers throughout Britain as well as in Calcutta and Madras" (DNB).

"The Daniells left England in 1785, when William was only about sixteen, and they were back in England in September 1794. From an early-stage Thomas seems to have set out to emulate and surpass Hodges (Select Views in India) in popularizing his views through the comparatively new medium of aquatint. The uncle and nephew were determined not only to do better than Hodges but to expose the weaknesses of the pioneer's work by choosing the same views as Hodges had done, drawing them more accurately, and aquatinting them more skillfully." (Abbey, Scenery II, p. 377)

"(Thomas) Daniell, assisted by his nephew (William), produced his best-known work Oriental Scenery (issued in six series) of Indian views making a total of 144 hand-coloured aquatint views of India. These represent Mughal and Dravidian monuments, cityscapes and sublime views of mountains and waterfalls and formed the most extensive work of its kind, finding subscribers throughout Britain as well as in Calcutta and Madras." (ODNB)

On their return to London in 1794 the Daniells spent the next 15 years working on the aquatints of Oriental Scenery (1795-1808), which is widely regarded as one of the quintessential artistic depictions of the subcontinent in the 18th century. Oriental Scenery, was, in fact, a project involving six series of aquatints (of 24 prints each).

This work contains plates carefully reduced and copied from the large folio edition, published between 1795 and 1808, under the Daniells' direction.

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