Accession Number
1984/1.308

Title
The Memorial Well, Cawnpore, Statue by Marochetti

Artist(s)
Samuel Bourne

Artist Nationality
British (modern)

Object Creation Date
1865 - 1866

Medium & Support
albumen print on paper

Dimensions
17 11/16 in x 14 9/16 in (44.93 cm x 36.99 cm);16 in x 20 in (40.64 cm x 50.8 cm);11 1/8 in x 9 1/8 in (28.26 cm x 23.18 cm);18 1/16 in x 14 11/16 in (45.88 cm x 37.31 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. W. Howard Bond

Subject matter
Created in Kanpur, India, this photograph depicts a view of a marble statue standing atop a large, ornately patterned stone base. The base itself is the mouth of a well that has been sealed off. During the particularly brutal struggle of the Indian rebellion of 1857, this place was the site of the massacre of over two hundred British women and children. Butchered mercilessly by rebel forces, their bodies were thrown into the depths of the dry well nearby. The horrifying brutality of the event left an indelible impression on the British public, and lead to this memorial being created around the base of the well. The site was paved over with stone blocks, and walls erected about it, reminiscent of Gothic Christian church architecture. Centered in this photograph is the well itself, adorned with a marble statue of an angel with long wings, her arms crossed across her chest and head bowed. In each arm is a long palm frond, and erected behind her stands a marble cross. 

Physical Description
This photograph depicts a view of a marble statue of an angel holding two palm fronds with a crucifix behind her. The statue is placed on top of a sealed stone well. Surrounding the statue is an ornate wall lined with arched windows.  

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
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Keywords
Angel
Christianity
angels (spirits)
arches
colonialism
crosses
crucifixes
massacres
memorials (monuments)
modern and contemporary art
monuments
sculpture (visual works)
statue
statues
stone
violence
water wells
wells
window