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Source Description
Known for his limericks and nonsense rhymes, such as The Owl and the Pussycat, Edward Lear was primarily a landscape painter. In 1848, he left Europe for extensive explorations to the Mediterranean, the Levant, and Southeast Asia, making drawings of the landscapes along the way. He reached Hardiwar (alt. spelling Hardwar), located northeast of Delhi on the right bank of the Ganges where the river exits the Himalayan foothills, on April 2, 1874. This finished watercolor was made a year after his visit, based on his on-site sketches and assiduous notes. He depicted the vibrant mass of people on the stairway to the Ganges from across the river and the majestic mountains beyond.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
662050
label
Hardwar, India
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
662050
contentType
drawing
title
Hardwar, India
description
Known for his limericks and nonsense rhymes, such as The Owl and the Pussycat, Edward Lear was primarily a landscape painter. In 1848, he left Europe for extensive explorations to the Mediterranean, the Levant, and Southeast Asia, making drawings of the landscapes along the way. He reached Hardiwar (alt. spelling Hardwar), located northeast of Delhi on the right bank of the Ganges where the river exits the Himalayan foothills, on April 2, 1874. This finished watercolor was made a year after his visit, based on his on-site sketches and assiduous notes. He depicted the vibrant mass of people on the stairway to the Ganges from across the river and the majestic mountains beyond.
date
1875
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q122884329
creators
1319
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Matted: 40.6 x 54.1 cm (16 x 21 5/16 in.); Sheet: 25.4 x 39.7 cm (10 x 15 5/8 in.)
cul
England
accession
2023.127
Source extras
tec
Watecolor over pencil, heightened with white
tombstone
Hardwar, India, 1875. Edward Lear (British, 1812–1888). Watecolor over pencil, heightened with white; matted: 40.6 x 54.1 cm (16 x 21 5/16 in.); sheet: 25.4 x 39.7 cm (10 x 15 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Delia E. Holden Fund, 2023.127
collection
DR - British
inscriptions
inscription
Signed with monogram l.l. and dated 1875
didYouKnow
Describing this site, Edward Lear wrote in his 1874 journal:<em> The beauty of the pagodas and shrines and houses here is indescribable, and the whole scene is perhaps the most beautiful I have seen anywhere in India</em>.
creditline
Delia E. Holden Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 09:11:39.327000
sourceId
662050
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - British
med
Watecolor over pencil, heightened with white
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
42bafd24977f3bbd