Boats
of Bengal : Eighteenth Century Portraits by Balthazar Solvyns/Robert L.
Hardgrave. New Delhi, Manohar, 2001, vi, 134 p., $28. ISBN 81-7304-358-2.Boats
of Bengal : Eighteenth Century Portraits by Balthazar Solvyns/Robert L.
Hardgrave. New Delhi, Manohar, 2001, vi, 134 p., $28. ISBN 81-7304-358-2.
Contents: Introduction/F. Balthazar Solvyns. 1. North-Wester. 2. Pinnace. 3. Filcehra. 4. Morpankhi. 5. Bajra. 6. Bhauliya. 7. Bore. 8. Patua. 9. Pansi. 10. Khela or Lal Dingi. 11. Dingi. 12. Magarcehra. 13. Penang. 14. Doni. 15. Jaliya Dingi. 16. Saranga. 17. Ektha. 18. Donga. 19. Balasore roads. 20. Grab. 21. Bangles. 22. Pateli. 23. Katra. 24. Balam. 25. Gudara. 26. Brig. 27. Ulak. 28. Kosa. 29. Palwar. 30. Hola. 31. Sloop. 32. Towboat. 33. Bhur. 34. Gudara. 35. Ita Dingi. 36. Vessels of all sorts. Bibliography.
"The Flemish artist F. Balthazar Solvyns lived in Calcutta from 1791 to 1803 and produced a remarkable series of etchings portraying the people of Bengal in their life and culture. First published in Calcutta in 1796 and redone for a more elaborate Paris edition, Les Hindous 1802-12, some 300 etchings, with their accompanying descriptions, provide a rich and detailed ethnographic survey of India of two hundred years ago. With sections on caste occupations, household servants, festivals, religious mendicants, and musical instruments, Solvyns includes a portrayal of the boats of Bengal in 36 etchings.
"In Boats of Bengal, Hardgrave reproduces these prints, together with Solvyns’s descriptive text, and a commentary on each plate." (jacket)
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