‘Plants of the Coast of Coromandel’ was produced in three volumes between 1795 and 1819. A total of 300 botanical artworks featured in this book. The eighteen prints in our collection were included in the third volume, published from 1811 to 1819.    

William Roxburgh (1751 – 1815)

Roxburgh was a Scottish botanist and surgeon who published widely on Indian botany. He studied at the University of Edinburgh and joined the East India Company as an Assistant Surgeon on one of their ships. The East India Company was a trading company which operated between 1600 and 1874. The National Trust states that ‘at its height, it dominated global trade between Europe, South Asia and the Far East, fought numerous wars using its own army and navy, and conquered and colonised modern day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma.’ 

Roxburgh went on to work in various roles for the Company, and began to employ local artists to create paintings of plants to accompany his detailed descriptions. Based in a range of places across India, including Madras and Samulcotta, he was later appointed the first paid Superintendent of the Calcutta Botanic Garden in 1793. ‘Plants of the Coast of Coromandel’ was one of Roxburgh’s most celebrated works. The Coromandel is the southeastern coastal region of the Indian subcontinent.

Many of the original illustrations published in ‘Plants of the Coast of Coromandel’ are held at Kew Gardens’ Library and Archive, and have been digitised on Watercolour World. Roxburgh’s personal set are held at Calcutta Botanic Garden and are viewable on the Botanical Survey of India website. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh also holds 500 copies of the original botanical paintings commissioned by Roxburgh.  

Botany in India

Indian botanical art flourished in the 1700s and 1800s, influenced by increasing public interest in the natural world. European botanists travelling and working abroad began to document the plants they saw for scientific study and reference. To accompany their descriptions of native plants, botanists such as Roxburgh commissioned local artists to produce detailed botanical paintings. 

Botany was significant in the expansion of empire and led to an Indo-European style of painting. Many of the Indian artists were trained and employed under the Mughal empire. After the East India Company defeated the Mughal emperor, Shah Alam II, in the mid 1700s, local artists sought employment from botanists such as Roxburgh.

There was a strong tradition of flower painting in Mughal culture, often in the form of miniatures. However, the East India Company viewed the style as too decorative and unsuitable for scientific study and reference. Roxburgh, like many botanists, trained Indian artists to paint in a more European style. This demonstrates the complex interactions between European colonisers and Indian artists, and the ways in which indigenous artistic styles adapted to suit the requirements of the Company.  

Paintings were the most accurate way to identify and classify new specimens, as living plants rarely survived the journey from India to Europe. Local artists therefore played an important role in the development of science and natural history.  

The artists

The series of botanical paintings were created over a long period of time and in various places. Roxburgh likely employed local textile artists for these early works when he was based in Samulcotta from 1781, as the Coromandel Coast was famous for its textile industry. During this time, Roxburgh began to employ a chief artist. Whilst we do not know his name, the artist moved to Calcutta with Roxburgh in 1793 when he was appointed Superintendent of the Calcutta Botanic Garden. He worked for Roxburgh for 25 years until he died in 1814.  In Calcutta, Roxburgh also recruited local artists from the city and areas further afield, such as Patna, a hub of art and culture.  

None of the artists names were ever included in Roxburgh’s correspondence, nor did their signatures appear on the paintings. Indian artists were rarely acknowledged or attributed in this period. We do however know some information about their artistic processes. The artists all followed the same method to ensure consistency across the paintings. First, an initial drawing of the plant was made, using a brush to create a very fine line. Next, an even tint or stain of colour was applied, followed by darker layers of paint. Intricate details such as hairs and veins were added last. It is likely that the artists used Gum Arabic, a natural gum made from tree sap, often used in painting. It was used as a binder for the paint and gave a glossy finish, helping to deepen the greens in the work. To finish, the artists scratched any final details into the Gum Arabic before it dried, such as the veins on a leaf. 

We do not know exactly how much the artists were paid monthly. Although Roxburgh paid himself around 1,500 rupees a month, his artists were paid three rupees for every painting they completed, demonstrating the power dynamics between Roxburgh and the artists he employed. In 1804, Roxburgh estimated that 100 rupees per month would cover wages and materials. After Roxburgh’s death, the artists based at Calcutta Botanic Garden began to demand better wages which reflected their artistic skill and increasing demand for their work.

Materiality

Roxburgh provided the materials for the artists, including the paint and paper. The pigments for the various paints were largely created using local resources. Yellow was made from cow urine (the cows were largely fed mango leaves) and red was made from a natural iron oxide. Roxburgh also imported paints from England, perhaps in the hope to standardise the quality of the art works. He similarly imported paper from England, most likely to maintain high standards of quality and durability which could endure the heat and humidity of India.

Legacy today

The botanical prints were donated to the Parliamentary Art Collection in 1975 and many are on display in the Palace of Westminster. During his time in India, Roxburgh commissioned around 2500 paintings of native plants from Indian artists. Whilst the Parliamentary Art Collection holds only a fraction of this number, the prints showcase the significant skill and knowledge of these artists, and the important part they played in scientific study and botanical art.

Read more about the Parliamentary Art Collection. 

Thank you to the Kew Gardens’ Illustrations Team, Kew Gardens’ Library and Archives, and Dr Henry Noltie for sharing their knowledge on William Roxburgh, the artists, and Indian botanical art more broadly.