Chapter 12 Sculpture from India Michael D. Willis he Indian collections at the British Museum are unmatched for their quality, T historical importance and iconographic variety. 1 No other museum can boast such a we~th of material or provide such a comprehensive picture of ancient fndian civilisation. That the collections have this importance is due solely to Augustus Wol­ laston Franks. Before his appointment the Museum had only a few sculptures and there was little interest in expanding the corpus; by the time he retired the Indian collections were unsurpassed, a position they still hold after one hundred years. This was no small achievement. Early days The importance ofFran.ks's contribution is highlighted by a review of how the Indian collections developed before his arrival in 1851. The fust Indian piece to come to the Museum was an alabaster Shiva linga (OA 1786.3- 31, 1), presented by Charles Bathurst in 1786. According to a nineteenth-century record slip in the Department of Oriental Antiquities, the linga was sent to Bathurst by Thomas North after it had been obtained during Shuja ud-Daula'swaragainstthe Rohillas. The linga is decorated on the base with gilt floral designs and small painted figures of devotees. T hese are in the late Mughal style of the eighteenth century and indicate that the piece was contemporary when it entered the Museum. To all appearances this might seem an auspicious and encouraging start. Franks continued to acquire contemporary things and the Museum still pursues such a policy today. Efforts faltered, however, in the first half of the nineteenth century. Indian objects arrived coincidentally with other collections, or were sought after as simple curiosities. For ex.unple, an eleventh-century reliefshowing an orgiastic scene (OA 1805. 7-2, 264) came with the Townley Collection in 1805.2 Although this seems to have been the first piece of medieval Indian sculpture to have arrived in England, it has drawn little attention and does not appear to have been put on public display during its almostt\vo hundred years at the British Museum. SC:U Lt"rUR£ FROM INDIA 251 As for curiosities, che most singular object is a large jade tortoise (OA 1830.6-12,1). given in 1830 and for many years kept in the Department of Mineralogy.3 This is often assigned to the time of the Mughal emperor Akbar (died AD 1605), but recent investigations suggest that a date in the eighteenth century is more plausible:* In Indian temples a carved tortoise was sometimes placed below the ceremonial bell between the main Shiva linga and rhe Nan di image; tortoises also served as totems of the Jaipur Rajputs, princes who were occasionally posted to Allahabad where the Museum's jade was found. In the same year thar the tortoise was acquired, Sir Robert Brownrigg donated the celebrated Tara ( OA 1830.6- 12, 4 ), now recob>nised as the most spectacular example of early metal casting from Sri Lanka. Officers in the Royal Navy or East India Company were important sources of Asian antiquities in the early part of the nineteenth century. Captain Frederick Mar­ ryat (1792- 1848), best remembered for his children's books, gave the Museum al arge lacquer Buddha (OA 1826.2-11, 1) and a colossal stone carving of the Buddha's foot­ print (OA 1826.2-11, 2). These arri ved in 1826.5 Quite often, however, East India Company officers were disappointed by the Trustees' failure to sanction purchases.6 This prompted Edward Hawkins (Keeper of the Department ofAntiquities, 1826- 60) to comment that be would be very glad to see more Indian sculpture within the walls of the Museum and that 'it is something of a disgrace to have so few memorials of our Indian empire' .7 These concerns led, it seems, to a modest cnckle of gifts, perhaps the most important being a bracket-figure from Sanchi given by a Mrs Tucker (OA 1842.12- 10, 1 ). The carving, dating to about the mid-first century Ar:>, represents a female demi-god and fertility figure. It was originally set between the architraves of one of the Sanchi gateways. Shortly after Franks arrived at the M useum, AF. Bellasis gave a collection of archaeological material which he had excavated in Sind (1857) (OA 1857.11-18, 1-299) and W.C. Raffles Flint gave his outstanding collection of Indonesian sculpture in stone and bronze (1859) (OA 1859.12- 28, 1- 160). The foregoing synopsis covers everything of note and demonstrates that when Franks was first appointed the lndian collection was desultory at best. Conditions, however, were beginning to change. Asia's importance was being increasingly appre­ ciated as a wide range ofpe ople gained some practical experience ofthe wider world. As early as 1826 the German scholar Millingen was surprised to find that there was con­ siderable 'disregard in this country for Archaeological pursuits', by which he meant the Classical antiquities of Greece and Rome.a The Romantic movement, and particularly its English manifestations in Ruskin, were fostering a new way oflooking at the world and the arts. Those influenced by these ideas had little patience with the intellectual clarity of C lassicism. Interest now probed the potent and mysterious forces of nature or focused on exotic cultures, ancient and distant. Franks was, in this sense, a man of his time. H e was fascinated with prehistoric, Anglo-Saxon and medieval antiquities, juSt the kind of material the o lder generation felt had no place m the Museum. The conservative position is perhaps besc represented by Antonio Paniui. A leading figure in the history of the British M useum, Panizzi had joined the service of the "frustees in 1836 and became Principal Librarian in 1856. A towering personality by any measure, 252 M I C H A E L D. W ll L I S Panizzi was used to having things his way. Although it may be coincidental, the Indian sculpture collections did not grow until after Panizzi's retirement in 1866. Panizzi did have an interest in oriental manuscripts and Asian natural history (as we shall see below) but it was not until after his time that Franks was presented with a succession of opportunities which made the British Museum che world's leading repository of Indian material culture. The Bridge Collection and Charles 'Hindoo' Stuart The firsr large body of Indian sculpture which Franks brought to the Museum came from the Bridge fami ly. This collection was put together in India by Charles Smart, one of the most remarkable figures in early British India.9 A brief account of Stuart's life gives some idea of tbe circumstances which inspired his interest in fndian civilisation and prompted him to assemble this collection. Stuart sailed for Bengal in 1777 at the age of nineteen, a cadet in the East India Company Army. He rose steadily over twenty-seven years of service and retired a Major-General. At the height ofhi s career he was earning nearly two thousand pounds, a generous annual sum in the early nineteenth century and one which would have allowed him co indulge his antiquarian interests. H e had no direct connection with die oriemalist scholars of his day, but was a keen student oflndian life and rraditions. Like many ofhis generation, Stuart came to India a young man, free ofprejud ice and bigotry. He seems to have learnt Indian languages and settled down with a local woman. In his writing he consistently championed all cllings Indian and Hindu. Although Stuart had no doubt that British rule was best for India, he vigorously opposed missionary activity and attacked the notion that the West was morally superior. As a result he was widely known, even in his own time, as 'Hindoo' Stuart. He managed to avoid significant military engagements and over a long career took advantage ofhi s postings to assemble a large and comprehensive collection ofsculpture. This was a remarkable achievement given that most of his contemporaries regarded lndian art as nothing but a heathen curiosity. Stuart was the first European with serious interests in the sculpture oflndia; he was certainly the only European to appreciate its beauty. The make-up of Stuart's holdings shows that he wanted examples of each deity as a kind ofvis ual encyclopaedia of religion and custom. Stuart was considerably ahead of his time, for just as he recognised that standards of beauty are relative, so he acknowledged chat Hinduism had a religious pedigree as noble and ancient as anything the West could offer. Certainly, Stuart was one of the few people who had an understanding of Indian iconography, though he docs not seem to have published anything on the subject. 10 During bis last years Stuart lived in Wood Street, Chowringhee, Calcutta, where he maintained a 'musewn' at his house. In addition to hundreds ofs tatues, the library contained several thousand volumes and was supplemented by prints and many objects relating to the namra1 history of South and East Asia. There were also examples ofweaponry and indigenous costume. Stuart would often show visitors aroun d the premises and in his absence the servants were instructed how to conduct people through the displays. SCULPTURE l'ROM lNDlA 253 Stuart died on 1 April 1828, apparently while making plans to return to England. H e is buried in the South Park Street Cemetery in a curious tomb loosely modelled on an Indian shrine. 11 According to Stuart's will, the contents of his museum were to be sold to benefit his heirs. Packed in 143 cases and insured for 30,000 Rupees, this material made its way to England where it came under the hammer in June 1830.