Copy of a letter from Capt. Gill, Adjuntah, 16 October, 1849

This material is held atRoyal Asiatic Society Archives

  • Reference
    • GB 891 RAS GOV7-RAS GOV7/29
  • Dates of Creation
    • 16th Oct 1849
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
    • English
  • Physical Description
    • 4 pages handwritten

Scope and Content

'Copy of a letter from Capt. Gill, addressed to Col. Sykes, dated at Adjuntah, 16 October, 1849' in which he writes of his concern that his paintings had not arrived when Sykes had written to him. He has continued to copy the cave paintings and writes of those and inscriptions. He also writes concerning Professor Wilson's remarks upon his paintings and of some things Wilson seems to have missed.

Administrative / Biographical History

Major Robert Gill was an army officer, antiquarian, painter and photographer in British India. He is best known for his paintings, copying the frescoes of the Ajanta Caves. Gill was the first painter – after their rediscovery in 1819 – to make extensive copies of the Buddhist cave paintings, which mostly date to the 5th century CE. His surviving copies and drawings remain significant in Ajanta studies as the originals have significantly deteriorated since his time.

Note

Major Robert Gill was an army officer, antiquarian, painter and photographer in British India. He is best known for his paintings, copying the frescoes of the Ajanta Caves. Gill was the first painter – after their rediscovery in 1819 – to make extensive copies of the Buddhist cave paintings, which mostly date to the 5th century CE. His surviving copies and drawings remain significant in Ajanta studies as the originals have significantly deteriorated since his time.

Additional Information

Published