Baltazard Solvyns cast his artistic gaze on the ordinary people of Bengal

The 18th century artist’s work was thought to be too sombre and not picturesque enough at the time

In the 18th century, Indian shores beckoned a number of European artists. Its exotic charm had cast a spell on many. William Hodges, Tilly Kettle, William and Thomas Daniell and others travelled to India either looking for patronage or to fulfill their commissioned assignments. A lesser known name among them was Baltazard Solvyns whose work didn’t get much attention at the time. While Hodges, Kettle and the Daniells painted the beautiful countryside and the rich and famous, Solvyns cast his gaze on the ordinary people of Bengal and created several extraordinary etchings. Solvyns’s work is the focus of Delhi Art Gallery’s (DAG) ongoing exhibition at Bikaner House in New Delhi. The artist has been exhibited earlier and his books have been published but this is the first time that a complete series of 288 etchings from Les Hindoûs — published by the artist — will be on display. A Belgian who practised marine arts in Antwerp, Solvyns arrived in Calcutta in 1791 and remained deeply involved with local culture, practices and customs over the next 12 years. It resulted in 288 colour etchings published in Paris as Les Hindous over four volumes between 1808 and 1812. DAG has put them together in one consolidated book called The Hindus: Baltazard Solvyns in Bengal.