Artwork Page for Hardwar, India

Details / Information for Hardwar, India

Hardwar, India

1875

Edward Lear

(British, 1812–1888)
Culture
England
Medium
Watecolor over pencil, heightened with white
Measurements
Matted: 40.6 x 54.1 cm (16 x 21 5/16 in.); Sheet: 25.4 x 39.7 cm (10 x 15 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Delia E. Holden Fund 2023.127
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Describing this site, Edward Lear wrote in his 1874 journal: The beauty of the pagodas and shrines and houses here is indescribable, and the whole scene is perhaps the most beautiful I have seen anywhere in India.

Description

Known for his limericks and nonsense rhymes, such as The Owl and the Pussycat, Edward Lear was primarily a landscape painter. In 1848, he left Europe for extensive explorations to the Mediterranean, the Levant, and Southeast Asia, making drawings of the landscapes along the way. He reached Hardiwar (alt. spelling Hardwar), located northeast of Delhi on the right bank of the Ganges where the river exits the Himalayan foothills, on April 2, 1874. This finished watercolor was made a year after his visit, based on his on-site sketches and assiduous notes. He depicted the vibrant mass of people on the stairway to the Ganges from across the river and the majestic mountains beyond.
A horizontally oriented watercolor and pencil drawing depicts a serene riverfront scene with delicate, sketchy lines. In the foreground, figures in white and vibrant robes stand on a sandy bank, their reflections shimmering in the water. A calm river separates the bank from a row of domed and arched buildings. Receding into the background, rugged blue mountains rise against a pale sky, with a solitary building perched atop a sharp peak to the left.

Hardwar, India

1875

Edward Lear

(British, 1812–1888)
England

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