Dreweatts 1759 | At Home in Three Counties: The Collection of Donald & Hilary Macpherson

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At Home in Three Counties: The Collection of Donald & Hilary Macpherson

Dreweatts

Donnington Priory

Newbury, Berkshire

RG14 2JE

United Kingdom

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Viewing in London (highlights): 16-17 Pall Mall, SW1Y 5LU
7 Apr: 10:00-16:00 BST
8 Apr: 10:00-16:00 BST

Viewing in Newbury (full sale): see below

Apr 29, 2026 10:30 AM BST

Apr 26, 2026 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM BST

Apr 27, 2026 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM BST

Apr 28, 2026 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM BST

Apr 29, 2026 09:00 AM - 01:00 PM BST

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Featured lot Provisionally sold Leading Won Outbid Lost Declined Reserve not met Leading

COMPANY SCHOOL (CIRCA 1770), LANDSCAPE WITH A EUROPEAN RESIDENCE NEAR MURSHIDABAD OR KASIMBAZAR

175

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18,000 GBP

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20,000 - 40,000 GBP

COMPANY SCHOOL (CIRCA 1770) LANDSCAPE WITH A EUROPEAN RESIDENCE NEAR MURSHIDABAD OR KASIMBAZAR; LANDSCAPE WITH A EUROPEAN Bodycolour on paper 38.5 x 53.8cm (15 x 21in.) Provenance: Hartnoll and Eyre, London, where purchased by the present owner, 1972 Exhibited: New York, The American Federation of Arts, Room for Wonder, Indian Painting during the British Period 1760-1880 , April 1978 - February 1979, cat. nos. 3a and 3b, exhib no.78 Murshidabad was a wealthy city and during the second half of the 18th Century there was an increasing number of British residents living there and in the neighbourhood. In 1767 barracks for British troops were built at Berhampore, six miles to the south and after 1775 a Resident was appointed to the Nawab's Durbar. British inhabitants were attracted to Murshidabad because of its location on the Bhagirathi River which linked Calcutta to the main channel of the Ganges. Boats would stop at Murshidabad to take on fresh provisions and water. The river was the main highway from Calcutta to Upper India until the mid-19th century and the arrival of the railways. As patronage by Indian society diminished the court artists looked for new a source of livelihood amongst the large number of British living there. These pair of works depict an extensive European residence from opposite vantage points. The English gentleman who commissioned these evidently wished the artist to depict not just his house, but his whole establishment including its pavilions, outbuildings, walled establishments, trees, boats, indoor and outdoor servants, crews, guards and soldiers with their Hindu shrines and Muslim mosques. He is portrayed in the second one, painted reclining in his palanquin, while reading a book in front of his splendid establishment. Condition Report: The sheet with the river in the foreground has darkened unevenly- this is visible in the sky and there are areas of surface scuffs and abrasions and some scattered spots of retouching in the water and repairs to two areas along the lower edge, light surface dirt. There is also a tear running diagonally from the left hand edge, approximately 7 inches visible in the catalogue illustration. The sheet with the river in the distance has darkened overall and there are some surface scuffs and abrasions and scattered spots of retouching and light surface dirt. There are tears running horizontally on the right and left hand edges 1 and 1.5 inches approximately. There is some losses to the gum arabic in the trees. The sheets were not taken out of the frame in the preparation of this report. Condition Report Disclaimer

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Auction date(s): Apr 29

Lot location: Newbury, Berkshire

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STUDIO OF SHAIKH MUHAMMAD AMIR OF KARRAYA (FL. 1830-1850), A WHITE STALLION WITH A GROOM

176

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7,000 GBP

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8,000 - 12,000 GBP

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Auction date(s): Apr 29

Lot location: Newbury, Berkshire

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DELHI SCHOOL, ARTIST WORKING FOR LIEUTENANT-COLONEL SKINNER (CIRCA 1824), SIX WATERCOLOURS

177

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26,000 GBP

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30,000 - 50,000 GBP

DELHI SCHOOL, ARTIST WORKING FOR LIEUTENANT-COLONEL SKINNER (CIRCA 1824) SIX WATERCOLOURS OF SKINNER' S HORSE; FROM AN ILLUSTRATED MANUSCRIPT OF THE USE OF SABRE, MUSKET, PISTOL, AND LANCE IN THE HINDUSTANI CAVALRY REGIMENT Watercolour on paper Inscribed in Urdu 21 x 28.5cm (8¼ x 11in.) (6) Provenance: Hartnoll and Eyre, London, where purchased by the present owner Colonel James Skinner (1778-1841) was the son of a Scottish soldier father and a Rajput mother. He began his career as a mercenary in the Maratha cavalry, before being ejected from their ranks because of his British blood. He was later recruited by the East India Company when Delhi fell to them in 1803. Skinner founded the famous 1st and 2nd Skinner's Horse regiments, who were nicknamed 'The Yellow Boys' for their flamboyant saffron-coloured uniforms. They were made up of local cavalrymen recruited from the villages of Mewatti, Maratha and Rohilla near Delhi and became famous for their horsemanship and skill with weapons and were soon regarded as the best cavalry force in North India. Skinner himself was a prominent member of Delhi society and became closely acquainted with William and James Fraser who commissioned the finest Indian artists to produce European-style portraits, landscape drawings of unrivalled skill and significance. The present set of six watercolours are illustrations for Lieutenant-Colonel James Skinner's personal manual of cavalry manoeuvres produced for his officers and based on his experience of commanding cavalry. The early part of the manuscript is a translation into Persian of the text as dictated by Skinner, the latter part of the manuscript is captioned 'A book of rules for the Hindustani Cavalry formed by Colonel Skinner serving the East India Company' and dated 1824. The text is written in both Urdu and Persian and each of the drawings has a chapter to itself describing the techniques in detail. The manual was illustrated in beautiful detail by a Dehli School artist. A related watercolour titled Rules for the Manoeuvres of the Hindustani Musket Cavalry is in the National Army Museum, London, dated to circa 1824. The following six drawings depict a Horseman tent-pegging with a lance at the gallop; Horseman after he has speared his peg; Horseman with one foot in the stirrup, shooting with a pistol at another with a lance; Horseman with one foot in the stirrup, using his sword against another with a lance; Horseman shooting with a musket at the left side of another similarly armed; and Horseman with a shield and musket shooting over his shoulder at another similarly armed. Condition Report: The sheets are slightly cockled and lightly creased, one has a relaxed fold- visible in a raking light. There are minor surface abrasions and one has a repaired tea in the centre of the lower edge. There are some scattered spots of old restoration and retouching. There is some slight fading to the more delicate watercolour pigments in the landscape details. The sheets are fitted into acidic mounts from which we would advise removal. The condition is consistent with a work of this age. The sheets were not taken out of the frame in the preparation of this report. Condition Report Disclaimer

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Auction date(s): Apr 29

Lot location: Newbury, Berkshire

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Y MURSHIDABAD ARTIST, CIRCA 1775, MUHAMMAD SHAH IN A PROCESSION WITH ALIVARDI KHAN OF BENGAL

178

Quantity

7,000 GBP

Opening bid

7,000 GBP

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8,000 - 12,000 GBP

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Auction date(s): Apr 29

Lot location: Newbury, Berkshire

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INDIAN SCHOOL (EARLY 19TH CENTURY), SOLDIERS AND ELEPHANTS OUTSIDE THE RED FORT, DEHLI

179

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3,500 GBP

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4,000 - 6,000 GBP

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Auction date(s): Apr 29

Lot location: Newbury, Berkshire

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Y INDIAN SCHOOL (CIRCA 1850), LORD AUCKLAND RECEIVING THE RAJA OF NAHUN IN DURBAR

180

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1,800 GBP

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2,000 - 3,000 GBP

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Auction date(s): Apr 29

Lot location: Newbury, Berkshire

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MURSHIDABAD ARTIST WORKING FOR JAMES HOARE (CIRCA 1790 -1795), BENARES

181

Quantity

10,000 GBP

Opening bid

10,000 GBP

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12,000 - 18,000 GBP

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Auction date(s): Apr 29

Lot location: Newbury, Berkshire

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MURSHIDABAD ARTIST WORKING FOR JAMES HOARE (CIRCA 1790 -1795), A VIEW OF THE FORT AT RAMNAGUR

182

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6,000 GBP

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7,000 - 10,000 GBP

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Auction date(s): Apr 29

Lot location: Newbury, Berkshire

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ANGLO-INDIAN SCHOOL, CIRCA 1860, A SPRIG OF MADAGASCAR BREXIA

222

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600 GBP

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1,000 - 1,500 GBP

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Auction date(s): Apr 29

Lot location: Newbury, Berkshire

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A FRAMED PAIR OF MODERN DECORATIVE INDIAN CALLIGRAPHIC PAGES PAINTED OVER OLDER MANUSCRIPTS

224

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90 GBP

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150 - 250 GBP

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Auction date(s): Apr 29

Lot location: Newbury, Berkshire

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ANGLO-INDIAN SCHOOL (EARLY 19TH CENTURY), SAILORS AND A GENTLEMAN ON A PULWAR CARGO VESSEL

386

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180 GBP

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300 - 500 GBP

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Auction date(s): Apr 29

Lot location: Newbury, Berkshire