THE LUCKNOW SCHOOL (18th Century).
A Black-tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa.
Pen and ink with watercolor
With inscription ‘Baige’ lower left; and inscribed in Urdu and with further inscription ‘Black-tail.d Godwit. winter. B.C. lower right.
Lucknow, India c. 1775-1785.
18 1/2" x 11 1/2" sheet.

Provenance: Major General Claude Martin (1735-1800); Niall Hobhouse Collection Sale, Christie’s May 22, 2008.

Claude Martin, the British patron to whom this watercolor belonged, was a man of the European Enlightenment-- a subset of wealthy settlers who supported the arts and culture of their adopted land. Like his fellow members of the English upper-crust, Martin pursued his interests with abandon, entertaining roles as a soldier, architect, surveyor, gunsmith, banker, and botanist.