HODGES, William (1744–1797)

This atmospheric aquatint presents Shekobad (modern Shikohabad, Uttar Pradesh), a historic town founded in the seventeenth century by the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh, whose name the settlement commemorates. Rather than focusing on monumental architecture, William Hodges depicts a tranquil waterside scene centred on the remains of a riverside pavilion reflected in a broad tank. A solitary palm tree rises above the landscape while a narrow causeway leads figures across the water, lending the composition a quiet sense of scale and movement.

The ruined structure, partially reclaimed by nature, reflects Hodges’ fascination with the picturesque qualities of decay. His careful arrangement of water, architecture and vegetation creates a harmonious composition that is as much a meditation on atmosphere as it is a topographical record. The broad sky and shimmering reflections demonstrate the artist’s mastery of aquatint, a medium particularly suited to conveying subtle effects of light and distance.

Drawn during Hodges’ journey through India between 1780 and 1783, the scene was engraved by William Byrne and published in 1787 as part of Select Views in India. The series represented the first major illustrated publication devoted to India’s landscapes and monuments based on direct observation, introducing European audiences to the architectural and natural beauty of the subcontinent several years before the celebrated works of Thomas and William Daniell.

Reference: William Hodges, Select Views in India, Drawn on the Spot, in the Years 1780, 1781, 1782, and 1783, London, 1780s; Abbey, Travel in Aquatint and Lithography, no. 416.