Lot 55: Arthur William Devis (London 1762-1822)

Portrait of a gentleman, standing small-full-length, in a green coat with cream breeches his hand resting on a rifle, a spaniel at his side, a view to a gopuram of a Southern Indian temple beyond
oil on canvas
92 x 69 cm. (36 1/8 x 27 1/8 in.)

Arthur William Devis was based in Madras between 1793 and 1795 and would not have had far to travel into the interior of India to find the type of landscape depicted here. The situation bears a certain, but very general resemblance to the temple in the fort at Vellore, with its river and nearby hills. However, it is not possible to identify with certainty the particular monument seen here. It can be said that it is a gopuram, or gateway tower, of a Southern Indian temple.