The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

South Façade of the Quadrangle of the Nayak Darbar Hall, Thanjavur

1858

Captain Linnaeus Tripe

(British, 1822–1902)
England, 19th century
albumenized salt print
Image: 27.7 x 34.2 cm (10 7/8 x 13 7/16 in.); Image with black margin: 27.7 x 36.1 cm (10 7/8 x 14 3/16 in.); Paper: 27.7 x 36.1 cm (10 7/8 x 14 3/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2020.213
Catalogue raisonné: CR6-202
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

This assembly hall is an important example of the Islamic influences brought by the Nayaks to South Indian architecture in the 1600s.

Description

Early box cameras had no shutter; the photographer just removed and replaced the lens cap, guessing at how long to leave it off. Linnaeus Tripe’s mastery of light and exposure here is incredible. The print allows us to read the decoration that is in shadow as well as that in full sunlight.
  • Private Collection, United Kingdom
    2020
    (Prahlad Bubbar Indian and Islamic Art, London, United Kingdom)
    September 14, 2020
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Dewan, Janet, and Linnaeus Tripe. The Photographs of Linnaeus Tripe: A Catalogue Raisonné. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2003. CR6-202
  • {{cite web|title=South Façade of the Quadrangle of the Nayak Darbar Hall, Thanjavur|url=false|author=Captain Linnaeus Tripe|year=1858|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.213