CRICKET - INDIA LINGHAM (EDWARD FRASER), Boys playing cricket outside Martinière School, Ko...

CRICKET LINGHAM (EDWARD FRASER) Boys playing cricket outside La Martinière School, Kolkata, drawing inscribed 'From Nature/ by Edwd Lingham Oct.24th 1849' in ink at foot, pencil with pen and ink on card, dust-staining, discolouration and marks, 300 x 400mm., 24 October 1849 Footnotes: The La Martinière Schools, Kolkata, comprising one school for boys, another for girls, were founded posthumously by Major General Claude Martin (1735-1800) and opened in 1836. He had amassed a large fortune while in the service of the Nawab of Awadh Asaf-ud-Daula and his will outlined in detail his vision for the foundation. Dubbed 'the Eton of the East' (William Dalrymple, The Age of Kali, 2004), it now has seven branches in Kolkata, Lucknow and Lyons, France. Our drawing shows an imposing neo-Classical building proudly bearing the inscription 'La Martinière' over the portico. The curriculum was based on traditional public school lines and the boys can be seen here not only enjoying a game of cricket but also playing leapfrog and, in the background, dancing round a maypole. The artist Edward Fraser Lingham is best known for his architectural views of Kolkata, and Francis Frith photographed a similar scene at the school in the 1850's. It was a period of growth for cricket in India with the formation of the first Indian community-based clubs such as the Oriental Cricket Blub (1848) and the Young Zoroastrians (1850). For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing