TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 165

Travancore Through European Eyes: The Court Portraits of August Theodor Schoefft

August Theodore Schoefft, Young Rajah Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma with his aunt (Regent Rani Gowri Parvathi Bayi) and elder sister (Rugmini Bayi). Oil on canvas (1839). Kuthiramalika Palace Collection.

Among the European painters associated with the kingdom of Travancore, Theodor Jensen is perhaps the best-known, his name frequently mentioned alongside that of the celebrated Raja Ravi Varma. Jensen’s visit to the Travancore court may well have marked a turning point in the early artistic development of the young Ravi Varma. Yet, alongside Jensen’s influence, the young artist—during his formative years in Thiruvananthapuram—would undoubtedly have been exposed to the rich collection of European paintings housed within the palace.

Among the many European artists who worked for the Travancore royals, August Theodor Schoefft stands apart, both for the subjects he chose to depict and for the remarkable technical brilliance evident in his work. Schoefft arrived in Travancore in 1839 and was commissioned to paint seven portraits of members of the royal family, along with several prominent courtiers. His extraordinary gift for portraying children is particularly evident in his imaginative portraits of Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma as a child.

Perhaps the most celebrated among Schoefft’s Travancore works is the painting depicting the young prince as a toddler, seated beside his aunt, the Regent Gowri Parvati Bayi, accompanied by his elder sister, Rukmini Bayi. The painting remains one of the finest visual records of nineteenth-century Travancore court portraiture.

To learn more about Schoefft’s Travancore commission, as well as the other itinerant European artists who found patronage in the kingdom, look out for my forthcoming book, The Forgotten Atelier.

Schoefft's signature and date (1839) in the painting (detail).

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 144

  ENGLISH SUBBA RAO AND SATRAM SCHOOL

Dewan Subba Rao

The Govt. Fort U.P. School, Manacaud, popular among the locals as 'Satram School', is a grand heritage edifice located on the eastern end of the Ramavarmapuram Gramom (Sreevaraham). Despite being a popular landmark, the locals are hardly aware of its history. They maintain that the expansive two-story building was formerly a Satram, and it's where young T. Madhava Rao was first lodged when he came to Travancore in 1849 as 'Tutor' to the nephews of Rajah Uthram Tirunal Martanda Varma.

Undoubtedly the most distinguished Maratha Brahmin to serve Travancore, Madhava Rao was but one among the many Paradesi Brahmins, who occupied coveted administrative positions in the State from the early 19th century. A brilliant bureaucrat, it did not take the young tutor to secure a dominant place in the administrative machinery, and in 1857 he secured the enviable post of Dewan (prime minister) of Travancore.

Credited for reforming the Travancore administrative system in modern lines, Madhava Rao orientated the Princely State towards an era of Colonial modernity. While the residents of Thiruvananthapuram still remember him with gratitude (thanks to the life-size statue of Rao right at the heart of the city), the history of the Satram goes well beyond Madhava Rao, to the reign of the celebrated Rajah Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma (r.1829-1846).

The Huzur records reveal that the mansion was actually constructed in the 1840s as the residence of Dewan 'English Subbrow' (alias Tanjore Subba Rao), who, like Sir T. Madhava Rao, started career in Travancore as a 'Tutor' to the young princes, Swathi Tirunal and his brother Uthram Tirunal.

A record from 1015 M.E. (c.1840 C.E.) mentions the amount accorded to purchase land in Ramavarmapuram for constructing a house for Dewan Subba Rao. Another record from 1018 M.E. (c.1843 C.E.) details the location of the mansion—on the central street, towards the eastern end of the Ramavarmapuram Gramom—as well as the amount sanctioned for the purchase of gifts on the occasion of house warming ceremony. The second record is particularly useful as it dispels any confusion regarding identifying the Satram School as Subba Rao’s residence.

The Satram School, Ramavarmapuram Gramom

With its robust cornice, arches, and moulded balusters, the building distinguishes itself from other structures of the era. Rather than exhibiting an affinity to the local construction practices, the Satram borrows architectural elements from the 18th and 19th century mansions of Tanjore and Madurai, where the neoclassical paradigm blends with the heavy stucco moulding.

English Subba Rao (b.1775-d.1848), the tutor from Tanjore, had lived a remarkable life. Before he became the Dewan of Travancore, Rao had a commendable career in Tanjore court of Rajah Serfoji II. A polyglot, Subba Rao served as tutor to three Travancore kings and authored the first play (Kishun Koovur) written by an Indian in the English language. Rahul Sagar, in his latest book 'Krishna Kumari, The Tragedy of India', shares previously unknown details of Subba Rao’s life. Check out the book for more details.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 139

The King's Craftsmen 

 History of the Ivory Carvers of Thiruvananthapuram

Sharing the link to the recording of the KCHR webinar 'The King's Craftsmen' where I discuss the history of ivory carving in Travancore.

https://youtu.be/9lNGb0SvA54

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 112

CARVING A NICHE FOR ARTS

'Carving a niche for arts', a write-up on master ivory carver Neelakantan Achari and his association with Dewan Sir T. Madhava Rao, The Hindu, 28-10-2017.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LXXX

HOUSE WITH A REGAL PAST

'House with a regal past', a write-up on the ancient Thiruvattar Ammaveedu in Thiruvattar, Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu, The Hindu 05-08-2017.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LXXVII

PALACE ON THE HILL

'Palace on the hill', a write-up on the enchanting Kanakakunnu Palace and its history, Friday Review, The Hindu 07-07-2017. 

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/palace-on-the-hill/article19229433.ece

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LXCIII

                                                  CHALA, A MARKET OF ANTIQUITY

'Chala, a market of antiquity', a search for the origin of Chala market, Thiruvananthapuram,                         The Hindu 21-01-2017.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LXCII

                                  THE TRAVANCORE-TANJAVUR CONNECTION

'The Travancore-Tanjavur connection', write-up on Vadasherri Padinjarae Ammaveedu, a.k.a., Tanjavur Ammaveedu in Perumthanni, constructed by Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma for his consort Sundara Lakshmi.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LXXXVIII

MAGNIFICENT WINDOW TO REGAL TIMES

'Magnificent window to regal times' write-up on the Thekkae Theruvu Malika, the two hundred year old durbar hall of the Travancore royals, The Hindu, 12-11-2016.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LXVI

                                          AN IVORY SKELETON FOR THE PRINCE

'An Ivory Skeleton for the Prince', write-up on Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma's penchant for science,The Hindu, 05-12-2015.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LXIV

                                                    PORTRAIT OF A HUNGARIAN ARTIST

'Portrait of a Hungarian Artist ', write-up on August Theodor Schoefft, a talented artist whose works adorned the court of Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma,The Hindu, 07-11-2015.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – XLVIII

                                                   CARVING A NICHE IN THEIR FIELD

'Carving a niche in their field', write-up on 'Ananthapadmanabhan Achari' Kochu Kunju Achari, the master craftsman associated with the royal Durbar of Travancore, Thiruvananthapuram, The Hindu, 14-03-2015.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – XLVI

SURVIVORS OF TIME

'Survivors of Time', write-up on Thiruvattar Ammaveedu, Thiruvananthapuram, 

The Hindu, 14-02-2015.