Mukul Dey (1895-1989) On the Ganges, Calcutta & 'The Day of the Festival' the first titled 'On the Ganges, Calcutta' lower left and signed 'Mukul Dey' lower right; the second titled 'The Day of the Festival' lower left and dedicated 'To Mr W.S.Rowe from Mukul Dey - Aug 14.1953 etching, framed 14.6 x 19 cm (5 3/4 x 7 1/2 in); 16 x 22.2 cm (6 5/16 x 8 3/4 in) Footnotes: Provenance Property from a private collection, UK; Gifted by the artist to the vendor's father-in-law (W.S. Rowe), during his employment in Calcutta in the late 1940s/early 1950s. Dey, one of the pioneering figures of modern Indian printmaking and the first Indian principal of the Government College of Art & Craft, brought a sensitive observational eye to the everyday life of Bengal. His etchings On the Ganges, Calcutta and The Day of the Festival exemplify his ability to merge atmosphere, human presence, and quiet narrative within the restrained language of line and shadow. In On the Ganges, Calcutta, Dey turns to the river that has long defined the spiritual and commercial life of the city. The composition is spare, a lone boat rests moored against the vastness of the Ganges, while another vessel hovers faintly in the distance. The emptiness surrounding the boats is as significant as the forms themselves. Through delicate tonal gradations and controlled cross-hatching, Dey evokes the humid stillness of the riverside. The solitary boat becomes more than an object; it feels contemplative, suspended between movement and rest. The distant craft subtly reinforces the sense of depth and continuity, suggesting that life flows onward even within moments of quiet pause. Rather than dramatizing the bustling energy often associated with Calcutta's ghats, Dey offers a meditative vision, an image of solitude and reflection anchored in a familiar landscape. By contrast, The Day of the Festival, dated 14 August 1953 and dedicated to the vendor's father-in-law, shifts from open landscape to intimate human subject. The etching depicts a woman seated within a temple, begging for alms. Here, Dey's focus rests on the human condition. The festival setting implies celebration, devotion, and communal gathering, yet the central figure embodies marginalization and need. The tension between festivity and poverty gives the work emotional complexity. Through careful attention to posture and drapery, Dey conveys dignity rather than spectacle. The etched lines define the architectural setting while also framing the woman's stillness, making her presence the moral and emotional centre of the composition. The personal dedication inscribed on the work adds another layer of meaning. It suggests that Dey's interest in such subjects was not merely aesthetic but empathetic and relational. The date, mid-twentieth century, a time of transition in post-independence India, situates the piece within a broader cultural moment when artists were grappling with social realities alongside national identity. For another edition of On the Ganges, Calcutta and The Day of the Festival sold at Sotheby's see Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art, 24th October 2023, lots 48 and 55 respectively. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing