EDEN, Emily (1797-1869) - photo 1
EDEN, Emily (1797-1869) - photo 2
EDEN, Emily (1797-1869) - photo 3
EDEN, Emily (1797-1869) - photo 4
EDEN, Emily (1797-1869) - photo 5
EDEN, Emily (1797-1869) - photo 6

EDEN, Emily (1797-1869)

Sold
£ 30 240
Auction dateClassic
13.07.2023 10:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 992554
Lot 154 | EDEN, Emily (1797-1869)
EDEN, Emily (1797-1869)

Portraits of the Princes & Peoples of India. London: J. Dickinson & Son, 1844.

A rare coloured copy of Eden's important work, probably one of only a handful of copies published in this form. The Hon. Emily Eden, the seventh daughter of William Eden, first baron Auckland, accompanied her brother, George, Lord Auckland (1784-1849) to India where he served as Governor-General from 1835-1842. A highly gifted amateur artist and writer, Eden recorded her observations of life in India during this period in the form of letters and an extensive collection of sketches. On her return to England in 1842, Eden arranged to have her images printed privately as a portfolio of 24 lithographs and the Portraits was published in 1844, issued in wrappers in four parts. Most copies were issued uncoloured, except for a few beautifully hand-coloured copies, of which the present work is one.



Eden's fine portraits and textual descriptions in the Portraits record the Indian rulers, and often their families, with whom Lord Auckland met during his term of office as Governor-General. The first period of their stay in India was spent in Calcutta and from October 1837 to February 1840 Lord Auckland and his entourage toured through the Upper Provinces, meeting with Indian princely subjects. Amongst those encountered and portrayed by Eden during these tours were the Maharaja Sher-Singh, King of the Punjab, the Maharaja Ranjit Singh, The Raja of Nahun, the Raja of Patiala, and the Raja Hira Singh, son of the Prime Minister of the Punjab. Fanny Parks, travelling in India between 1822 and 1845, found Eden's sketches from this period to be 'most spirited and masterly.' The richness and splendour of these Indian figures and their entourages are captured by Eden, particularly in the plates relating to the bejewelled horses from the Maharaja's stable, and the elephants, dogs, hawks and hunting leopards sent to accompany Lord Auckland by the King of Oudh. Eden did not only confine her portraits to those of Indian princes or those of high castes. The twenty-eight images also include servants attached to Government House, members of their families, together with religious devotees, Pathans, Tibetans and others. Bobins I, 237. Not in Abbey.



Folio (556 x 433mm). Lithographic title mounted on card, 27 lithographic plates by Lowes Dickinson after Eden, printed by Charles Hullmandel, title and plates finished in contemporary hand-colour, mounted on 24 card mounts in imitation of watercolours with ink borders ruled by hand in brown or gilt, with letterpress captions on paper mounted on each verso (mount to title with some surface abrasion and light browning, mount to plate number 20 with short tear to lower blank margin, occasional spotting or light soiling to about 17 plates, seven mounts retaining old mounting tape on verso). Unbound as issued in original purple morocco-backed portfolio, upper cover blocked in gilt 'Hon. E. Eden's /India' with an integral vignette illustration of a snake coiled around an egg (rebacked, flaps and ties replaced). Provenance: Christie's Arts of India sale 24 Sept. 2003, lot 70.





Special notice

No VAT is payable on the hammer price or the buyer's premium for this lot. Please see the VAT Symbols and Explanation section of the Conditions of Sale for further information
Place of origin:Northern Europe, India, Asia, Europe, United Kingdom
Auction house category:Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
13.07.2023
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.