Page 261 - Eye of the beholder

For a a a a a historically important important picture like this the the the provenance is is is is important important for the the the credibility of the the the discovery In this context therefore the the the name of Abbott&Holder adds significance to the the the discovery Located in Museum Street in in in in in London the reputable gallery has been in in in in in business since 1936 with a a a a founding policy ‘to stock pictures that are within the the means of of as as broad a a a a a a a a section of of the the population as as possible’ Currently housed on on on four floors at at Museum Museum street just opposite the the British Museum Museum and having their own paper conservation studio the gallery still aims to provide affordable pictures with accurate attributions and a a a a a a a a a a a a guarantee that ‘should an attribution prove inaccurate we still offer offer not only a a a a a a a complete refund but but also as offered on on on the first list a a a a a a box of of black magic chocolates by the way of of compensation’ In October 2010 a a a a a a a a a a a few days after after I I had won the picture at auction and and exactly 218 years and and 1 1 1 month after after Thomas Daniell had finished drawing ‘At Mugwaukul’ the picture was delivered to my home fin in in Switzerland I I had had been waiting to lay my hands on on on it it it impatiently since the time I I had had won it it it at at auction The provenance and the the attribution by by the the auctioneers had left no doubt that it was an an an original work by by Thomas Daniell But as they say seeing is believing! I had previously seen images of equivalent works by the the Daniells in in in high resolution There were also some originals from from the the the collection of the the the Victoria Memorial and from from the the the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi that I had had had had a a a a a a a a chance to see earlier Armed with this experience and the the the the attribution attribution one look at at at at the the the the picture left no doubt that the the the the provenance and the the the the attribution attribution were correct beyond the slightest doubt The The only mystery that prevailed was regarding the the the date and the the the subject matter of the the the painting painting The The painting painting did not appear as an an an aquatint aquatint in in in any of of the the the books published by the the the Daniells An aquatint aquatint of of the the the same subject would would have have made made the painting much more valuable and would would have have made made me me lucky a a a a a a a a a second time (See chapter XX) Since the the painting did not feature in in in in in any any of the the publications I started looking for any any mention of of it in in in the the various catalogs of of Daniell paintings that have been published so so far After all there was some likelihood that in in in the the last 218 years of the the painting’s history it it may have been exhibited somewhere and thereby made its way into some catalog catalog There have have been been many catalogs of Daniell’s works that have have been been published Most of of them were limited edition publications that are very difficult to get hold of of now From the the few that I I I could access I I I found no mention of the painting I I I had at at hand The date of 17 17 September 1792 indicated that the the painting was done during their second journey through south India A comparison against against Oriental Scenery and against against the journal kept by William Daniell indicated that at at this time the the the the Daniells were in the the the the area around Tanjore However there was no no known place by the the the the name of of ‘Mugwaukul’ to be found in in the the area around Tanjore or or or for that matter anywhere in in the the rest of of India The situation strongly indicated that ‘Mugwaukul’ was a a a a a a a a a deviant form of of the the name of of some other place place in South India It is is a a a a a a a a a a a a well established fact that the the names of various places as used by the the Daniells are sometimes quite different from what they appear now However in in the the the absence of any clue regarding the the the name name and location location of of the the the the the place the the the the the search for the the the the the name name of of the the the the the location location the the the the the painting depicts remained futile for some time 255