William Hodges

Hand-coloured aquatint depicting the entrance gate of the Caravan Serai at Raje Mahel. William Hodges (1744-97) was a pioneer in more ways than one. He was the first British landscape painter to visit India and to portray scenery across the whole breadth of the Gangetic plain. As a writer, he gave the first detailed descriptions of numerous historic Indian buildings, and he theorized about the origins and evolution of Indian architectural design. His art illustrates his exploration into terrain which—in its breadth and scope—was at the time almost as unfamiliar to Indians as to Western eyes.

William Hodges