The Durbar hall gallery houses an exhibition titled “India: In the eyes of Thomas and William Daniell”. The exhibition displays selective engravings by the Daniells from the collection of Victoria Memorial Hall.
The Daniells played a prominent role in documenting the landscapes, building and peoples of the country. Their seven years tour of India from 1786 to 1793 and the subsequent publication of their work bought to the British public an unrivalled view of the scenes and architecture of this beautiful land. Their seven years stay ventured further than any British artist had done earlier. They took three tours across India: up the Ganga from Calcutta to Srinagar in Garhwal (1788-91), a circular tour around Mysore from Madras (1792-93) and finally on their return journey to England in 1793 visiting Bombay and its sites, sketching and drawing as they travelled. On their return to England they devoted themselves to the publication of the materials. Of the six volumes of Oriental Scenery was published in 1808. The Victoria Memorial Hall has the largest collection of paintings by the Daniells on lives and landscape in India.
