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A PAIR OF LARGE HAND COLORED STEEPLE ENGRAVINGS

Lot No. 32: Singleton, Henry (Painter) & Vedevato, P (Engraver)

SCARCITY IN INDIA & BRITISH PLENTY

  • Medium: Hand Colored Auatint Engraving
  • Year: Circa 1794
  • Size: 18.7 x 14.7 Inches
  • Place: London

Unsold (reserve not met)

Estimate

3,00,000 - 5,00,000


Estimate US$

3600-6000

Ends at Aug 22, 2024 07:31 PM IST

Quick Overview

Total : 0 bids   |   Next 5 valid bids   | 20% Buyer's Premium   |   Additional Charges   |   Comparable

Singleton, Henry (Painter) & Vedevato, P (Engraver)

SCARCITY IN INDIA & BRITISH PLENTY

Year: 1794

Size: 18.7 x 14.7 Inches

Published By: Engraved and Published by Charles Knight by Henry Singleton
Mounted & Pasted

This is a pair of Singleton prints that contrast British wealth with food shortages in India. This print shows sailors on shore leave in pursuit of local girls.

This intriguing pair of stipples represents a deviation from Singleton's more conservative images. Typically a sentimental painter, Singleton became known for his sweet moralistic genre scenes. In comparison, this amusing pair is openly suggestive if not overtly sexual. If just examining the titles, one would assume that the subject matter was about commerce or perhaps a moralistic declaration regarding poverty in the colonies. When viewed in conjunction with the images, the pair assumes a more risqu? connotation. In "British Plenty", a young man, sporting a delighted expression and eager demeanor, walks with two beautiful girls along the wharf. The fact that the women are most likely courtesans, an assumption supported by their flirtatious behavior and revealing clothing, immediately transforms the meaning of the image. In "Scarcity in India", two young Englishmen offer pretty trinkets to a young Indian girl outside a rural village. The girl responds to the familiar gestures and lascivious glances of the Englishmen with a meek expression and a demure pose. Singleton seems to be suggesting that Britain is wealthy in more ways than simple commerce, and that India's poverty extends to all levels of its society. Although, to a modern eye, Singleton's images are merely suggestive if not slightly amusing, to an eighteenth century audience these images would have been blatantly risqu?. It is interesting that Singleton chose to place his scene in India, since he had never actually been there. Like many British artists, he produced paintings with an Indian theme in response to the great public demand for images of the colonies. This public fascination with India obviously extended to the erotic print trade, which sought to capture the latest fashions and most up to date trends.

Henry Singleton illustrated Shakespeare?s plays and produced sentimental genre scenes with an eye to the print trade.
Provenance : Collection of a Gentleman
Fine Condition
Nickname Amount(Rs) Type Date & Time(IST)
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