Sir Charles D'Oyly, 7th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Charles D'Oyly was a public official and painter
from Dhaka
who produced numerous images on India
n subject matter.
He was born in India on 17 September 1781. His father, Baron Sir John Hedley D'Oyly
, was the resident of the Company at the Court of Nawab Babar Ali of Murshidabad
. D'Oyly went to England
with the family in 1785 and received his first formal education there. In 1798 he returned to India as Assistant to the Registrar in the Court of Appeal in Calcutta. In 1803 he was appointed as 'Keeper of the Records' in the office of the Governor General
.
D'Oyly 1808 appointed as the Collector of Dacca (now Dhaka) in 1808. In the following years, the posts he held, were the Government and City Collector of Customs in Calcutta (1818), the Opium Agent of Bihar
(1821), the Commercial Resident of Patna
(1831) and lastly the Senior Member of the Board of Customs, Salt, Opium and of the Marine (1833). After serving with the company for forty years, his failing health compelled D'Oyly to leave India in 1838. After the death of his father, D'Oyly inherited the Baronetage and received a knighthood. The greater part of the rest of his life was spent in Italy
and he died there on 21 September 1845 leaving no male issue.
D'Oyly was Collector of Dhaka from 1808 to 1817. During that period, he painted a wide variety of pictures, especially the Mughal
ruins. He decided to publish the drawings relating to Dhaka in the form of a folio-size book. After engraving, the drawings of D'Oyly were published in London
from 1823 onwards. A short historical account of Dhaka was also appended to each book. James Atkinson
wrote these accounts, accompanied by engravings done by Landseer
. These books came to be known as Antiquities of Dacca and became important social documents.
D'Oyly collaborated with Christopher Webb-Smith in producing a number of books. Two of these were Feathered Game of Hindostan (1828) and Oriental Ornithology (1829), Webb-Smith depicting the birds and the foliage, and D'Oyly doing the backgrounds.
Between 1832 and 1833, D'Oyly took leave at the Cape of Good Hope
, returning to Calcutta to fill the post of Senior Member of Customs, before retiring in 1838.
In 1848 Dickinson & Co., 114 New Bond Street, London, published D'Oyly's Calcutta drawings in a large folio-size book titled Views of Calcutta and its Environs The original drawings for this work were probably made between 1833 and 1838 while D'Oyly was Senior Member of the Board of Customs, Salt, and Opium and Marine Board in Calcutta, but some must have been completed between 1839 and 1845 when he retired. The complete work was published after D'Oyly's death in Italy in 1845.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
from Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
who produced numerous images on India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n subject matter.
He was born in India on 17 September 1781. His father, Baron Sir John Hedley D'Oyly
Sir John D'Oyly, 6th Baronet
Sir John Hadley D'Oyly, 6th Baronet was a politician in Great Britain. He was Member of Parliament for Ipswich from 1790 to 1796.He is buried in the South Park Street Cemetery in Kolkata, India.- References:**...
, was the resident of the Company at the Court of Nawab Babar Ali of Murshidabad
Murshidabad
Murshidabad is a city in Murshidabad district of West Bengal state in India. The city of Murshidabad is located on the southern bank of the Bhagirathi, a distributary of the Ganges River. It was the capital of undivided Bengal during the Mughal rule. Nawabs of Bengal used to rule Bengal from this...
. D'Oyly went to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with the family in 1785 and received his first formal education there. In 1798 he returned to India as Assistant to the Registrar in the Court of Appeal in Calcutta. In 1803 he was appointed as 'Keeper of the Records' in the office of the Governor General
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
.
D'Oyly 1808 appointed as the Collector of Dacca (now Dhaka) in 1808. In the following years, the posts he held, were the Government and City Collector of Customs in Calcutta (1818), the Opium Agent of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
(1821), the Commercial Resident of Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
(1831) and lastly the Senior Member of the Board of Customs, Salt, Opium and of the Marine (1833). After serving with the company for forty years, his failing health compelled D'Oyly to leave India in 1838. After the death of his father, D'Oyly inherited the Baronetage and received a knighthood. The greater part of the rest of his life was spent in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and he died there on 21 September 1845 leaving no male issue.
D'Oyly was Collector of Dhaka from 1808 to 1817. During that period, he painted a wide variety of pictures, especially the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
ruins. He decided to publish the drawings relating to Dhaka in the form of a folio-size book. After engraving, the drawings of D'Oyly were published in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from 1823 onwards. A short historical account of Dhaka was also appended to each book. James Atkinson
James Atkinson (Persian scholar)
James Atkinson was a surgeon, artist and Persian scholar - "a Renaissance man among Anglo-Indians" - Early life :Atkinson was born in Darlington, County Durham, England, the son of a woolcomber...
wrote these accounts, accompanied by engravings done by Landseer
Edwin Henry Landseer
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, RA was an English painter, well known for his paintings of animals—particularly horses, dogs and stags...
. These books came to be known as Antiquities of Dacca and became important social documents.
D'Oyly collaborated with Christopher Webb-Smith in producing a number of books. Two of these were Feathered Game of Hindostan (1828) and Oriental Ornithology (1829), Webb-Smith depicting the birds and the foliage, and D'Oyly doing the backgrounds.
Between 1832 and 1833, D'Oyly took leave at the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, returning to Calcutta to fill the post of Senior Member of Customs, before retiring in 1838.
In 1848 Dickinson & Co., 114 New Bond Street, London, published D'Oyly's Calcutta drawings in a large folio-size book titled Views of Calcutta and its Environs The original drawings for this work were probably made between 1833 and 1838 while D'Oyly was Senior Member of the Board of Customs, Salt, and Opium and Marine Board in Calcutta, but some must have been completed between 1839 and 1845 when he retired. The complete work was published after D'Oyly's death in Italy in 1845.