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Estimate: $ 35,000 - $ 45,000
TRIPE, LINNAEUS (1822-1902) "Photographs of the Elliot Marbles; and Other Subjects; In the Central Museum Madras." Spectacular and complete album with 75 photographs, on 51 sheets, featuring a particular group of sculptures from the ruined Buddhist stupa at Amaravati. Albumenized salted paper prints from the dry collodion process, sizes range from approximately 6 1/2x4 1/2 to 9x11 inches (16.5x11.4 to 22.9x28 cm.), and the reverse; mounted recto only, with almost half having either 2 or 3 images per sheet; with Tripe's "Photographer to Government" embossed blind stamp and notations next to each image (on all but one), along with page numbers, in ink, in an unknown hand, on mount recto. Oblong folio; black-stamped boards, lightly worn, rebacked; includes preface and index. 1858-1859
On some of the plates, the written notations relate the Madras sculpture numbers of sculptures in the Elliot Marbles plates to plates and descriptions in James Fergusson's "Tree and Serpent Worship: Illustrations of Mythology and Art in India."
with--A collection of 8 loose images laid in taken by an unknown photographer of sculptures found at Mahaballipoorum. Albumen prints, approximately 7 1/2x10 to 10x13 inches (19.1x25.4 to 25.4x33 cm.), and the reverse. Circa 1860.
The photographs contained in this album were produced by Captain Tripe at the request of the Madras (currently Chennai, India) Government after a four-and-a-half month tour through the Trichinopoly, Madura and the Tanjore Districts. The photographs were made from May to June 1858; printed from August 1858 to March 1859; and the album was assembled in the Autumn 1859.
Because of their weight, the majority of the sculptures were not moved into the open air, but photographed as they were lying in the various rooms of the Central Museum, Madras. Printing of the images began at Bangalore under the supervision of Tripe's chief assistant, C. Iyahsawmy Pillay. Once started, Tripe opted to white out the backgrounds of some of the negatives, which he found to be distracting. Also, he became dismayed with the long exposures needed due to the density of the collodion negatives, which resulted in yellowing in some of the highlight areas.
The Amaravati Stupa, which dates between the third century B.C. and the third century A.D. is located in the Gunthur District of the Eastern Ghats. In 1845 the antiquarian Walter Elliot continued further excavations on the site, which had originally been neglected for centuries. The sculptures he recovered were sent to Madras, and in 1856 they were placed in the south wing of the museum. The sculptures were numbered by Surgeon Edward Balfour, the officer in charge of the museum, and described/interpreted by the Reverend William Taylor, who provided them with their namesake. After being photographed by Tripe, the collection was sent to the Court of Directors of the East India Company in London and when the India Museum dissolved in 1879, the sculptures were acquired by the British Museum where they still remain.
The Photographs of Linneaus Tripe: A Catalogue Raisonné, 607-675. Special thanks to Tripe authority Janet Dewan for her assistance in preparation of this catalogue entry.
