A PRINCE WATCHES AN ELEPHANT FIGHT FROM HIS PALACE, INDIA, PROVINCIAL MUGHAL, CIRCA 1780 |

gouache heightened with gold on paper, plain blue borders, inscription on reverse in English 'Jane Plymley 1790 from Jonathan Scott Esq of Netley'

Acquired by Jonathan Scott, secretary to Warren Hastings, before 1790. Gifted by Jonathan Scott to Jane Plymley in 1790. 

In generally good condition, minor repainting, minor losses to the paint, stains and scratches, inscriptions on reverse, as viewed.
"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."

Jonathan Scott was a noted Orientalist, a founder member of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal and a friend of Warren Hastings. Born in Shrewsbury, he joined the army of the East India Company in 1770 and was appointed by Warren Hastings as his secretary from 1778. He returned to England before 1790, settling at Netley in Shropshire. In 1802 he was appointed as professor of Oriental Languages at the Royal Military College and later moved to the East India College at Haileybury. He published a number of important works on Indian and Persian history and literature, including Tales, Anecdotes and Letters Translated from the Arabic and Persian (1800), which he dedicated to Warren Hastings. He also made an early translation of the Arabian Nights, and died in 1829. Jane Plymley was from a notable Shropshire family well-known at the time for their campaigns against poverty and slavery. Jane apparently starved herself to death out of guilt for the poor who could not afford to feed themselves (see Lesa Scholl, Hunger Movements in Early Victorian Literature, Abingdon, 2016).