A view of the Taj Mahal from the west looking east, Company School, circa 1800

watercolour on joined paper, watermarked 'J.Whatman', dated 1801 

"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This picture presents the Taj Mahal from the south-west corner terrace providing a view across the front of the mausoleum towards the south-east corner tower. The subject concurrently exhibits the beauty and detail of the tooling along the mausoleum and the artist’s ability to execute the work in double-point perspective. In addition the perspective provides a good view of the alternating marble and sandstone slabs encircling the mausoleum. The current example may be the only Agra draughtsman’s view of the Taj Mahal for which there might be a European prototype; that of the eccentric artist and indigo planter Thomas Loncroft, whose only surviving coloured drawing describes the mausoleum from the same south-west approach (now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, see E. Koch, The Complete Taj Mahal, London, 2006, fig.357). Longcroft arrived in India with his friend Johan Zoffany in 1783 and drew some of the Mughal monuments of Delhi and Agra in the 1780s and 1790’ in meticulous detail normally finished in wash. For a similar Agra draughtsman’s view, see M. Archer, Company drawings in the India Office Library, London, 1972, pl.62.