PETER ANKER - PAINTER AND COLLECTOR

By Prof. P. Maria Lazar

The eighteenth century may be called a century of exploration and colonization. The curious and the inquisitive people in the world were very eager to know about the landscapes, the profiles of the natives and the fauna and flora of the newly discovered lands. Unfortunately photography was unheard of in those days because photography came into existence only in 1839. There were no such things like the Discovery or National Geographic channels as we have today. Under these circumstances the eager public had to be satisfied with the " Travelogues" written by the navigators and the drawings, paintings, sketches and maps drawn by Artists who used to accompany the navigators and explorers. These drawings were the windows and curtain raisers for the newly discovered lands. For example the British Naval officer, James Cook (1728-1779) one of the world s greatest explorers who sailed around the world twice used to take with him scientists and Academy trained artists during his expeditions.

Peter Anker (1744-1832) a Norwegian by birth belongs to this period of History. He was not only an ace painter but a collector of artifacts and valuable books. He was horn on 31.7.1744 at Fredrickshald, Norway. Erik and Anne Catharine were his parents. Peter Anker had a younger brother by name Carsten. By the standards of the times he received a good education. He and his younger brother with their tutor Andreas Holth toured extensively in England, France and Germany from 1760 to 1765. While in England they spent two years at Oxford. During this extensive tour Peter Anker learned painting and studied Architecture. Peter Anker chose to settle in England. He was appointed consul in Hull in England. Industrial revolution was in progress in England and the Dano-Norwegian civil servants sent to England were secretly instructed to observe diligently the progress of technical and industrial revolution there and report to Copenhagen with relevant drawings and details of the newly invented machines and devices. It was a kind of industrial espionage and Peter Anker as a true patriot, sent to Denmark the drawings of the Steam Engines, salt works and carding machines. In 1777 he became the consul general for London and in 1781 he was consul in Falmouth and in 1783 he was appointed Consul General for Great Britan. On 24.5.1786 at the age of 42 Peter Anker was offered the post of Governor of Tranquebar as well as the title of colonel and immediately afterwards he was promoted to the rank of major General. Peter Anker look over command as Governor General of Tranquebar on 17th may 1788 and held the post for 18 years.

At Tranquebar life was not as expected for Peter Anker in the beginning. He being a Norweigan who had spent considerable number of years in England he could not fit into the culture of the Danish bureaucracy at Tanquebar. But in spite of all these Peter Anker was a successful Governor who eliminated corruption to certain extent and introduced double entry Book Keeping in the administration. He even enlarged the territories of the Danish settlement at Tranquebar and undertook the restoration of the walls around the fort. Peter Anker was a gem of a fellow who had a taste for finer things in life. He maintained a very cordial relations hip with the English and the French Governors in the neighbouring provinces. He was a very good friend of the King of Tanjore and Tippu Shahib.

Peter Anker loved India, its people, its rich culture and traditions. Most of his paintings relate to landscapes, Temples, Buildings and fortresses of South India. He used a Hybrid technique of painting which combined gouache, watercolour, pencil, Indian Ink and white wash. He painted with short, close brush strokes and was very meticulous about details like foliage and crown of palms. When he left India Peter Anker look with him 131 drawings and engravings and out of them 62 were painted by Peter Anker himself and the rest were the drawings and maps of English painters like Thomas Daniel, William Daniel, James Wales, John Gantz and an unidentifiable French Artist who cam e to India and painted pictures relating to many parts of India, Ceylon and Nicobars.

The following are some of the precious Drawings of Peter Anker relating to Tamil Nadu with everlasting beauty:

1.   Monuments at Mahabalipuram.
2.   The ruins of the ancient palace of Madura (Madurai)
3.   The East side of mannolon bridge
4.   Trankebar (1790)
5.   The great Maratta pagoda in Tanjore.
6.   Rest home at Majavaram (Mayavaram) by the cauvery river) 
7.   The pagoda near Bytisperam ( Vaithesvaran) Kovil. 
8.   Buildings by the Cauvery river.
9.   Map over Tranquebar.
10. A Banyan Tree.
11. Tillaly (Thillaiadi) the governor's country residence.
12. The capital of Tanjore
13. Supremane setty (the famous Dubash in Tranquebar)
14. The virvamally (Vzrallimalai) pagoda.
15. The High mountains in Trichenapoly.
16. The Fortress of Trichenapoly.
17. The Big gate of the pagoda on the Island of Seringam (Srirangam) in the cauvery river.

One should bear in mind that these drawings were produced for public who did not know India. These paintings span over a period of 20 years. Most of the paintings of Peter Anker have a melancholic , peaceful tone, expressions one can not put into words. India being a sunny country it is surprising that many of his paintings are dim and dark. Probably it might have been impossible for an European to pitch his tent at the site of painting and sit painting for long hours in the blazing Sun. May be the paintings of Peter Anker were done in the hours of dawn or in the hours of twilight.

Peter Anker was a Collector of artefacts. Peter Anker and his brother were the members of the "Royal Norwegian society of Sciences and in 1793 from Tranquebar Peter Anker sent to the society a collection of insects, conches from Nicobars and a bird of paradise from Borneo. During his stay at Tranquebar he collected a large number of stuffed birds and look with him to Norway after his retirement and later after his death these stuffed birds were sent to the society by his brother Carsten. In 1790 Peter Anker purchased a lot of items from a shipwrecked and. abandoned expedition in the Pacific region which were sold to the Bergen Museum after Anker's death.

Peter Anker was a voracious reader. Whenever a new hook was published in London, Paris or Denmark he placed immediate orders. He had a great collection of books. In the university of Oslo Library (UBU) there is a work by Robert Home published in London in 1794 under the title "Select Views in Mysore, the Country of
Tippu Sultaan: from Drawings taken on the spot by Mr. Home; with historical descriptions ". This hook has an "ex libris" label on which it mentions Major General Peter Anker. But the other books of his collection may have been spread through several estate distribution and divided among the family.

At Tranquebar he was very friendly with the local Bhramins and with their help he collected a lot of idols of Bronze of Hindu deities. In 1799 while some restoration works were carried to the fortress of Tranquebar 9 Hindu idols cast in one piece in Bronze and 10 other items of idols were unearthed. Since they had lain in the ground where human beings and animals had trodden on them the local Brahmins considered them unworthy of worship and happily handed them over to Peter Anker.

Peter Anker cherished them as his priceless possession. On enquiry it was found out that not even the British Museum in London in its mythological collections had idols of such a size and beauty as these. After the death of Peter Anker, King Christian VIII purchased these idols for 2500 Rix dollars and today these idols are housed in the Ethnographic Department of the National Museum in Copenhagen.

It is to be noted that any change in the political climate in Denmark had its reverberations and ripples in Tranquebar. Therefore due to change in the political realignment in Denmark on 12 May 1801 Peter Anker handed over Tranquebar to the British and to ok command again on 17 August 1802. Since he was friendly with the British Bureaucracy in India the transition was smooth. During this period of British take over, Peter Anker lived in the Governor's country house at Thillaiadi.

After 18 years in India Peter Anker relinquished his post voluntarily on 10.10.1805 and Jeff Tranquebar on 7.2.1806 with large collections of drawings, Maps, Idols, Artefacts, Books, and gifts from Indian Princes. After staying in England until the spring of 1807 Peter Anker returned to Norway and settled on the farm "Oeraker" which belonged to his cousin Peder. Tourists and visitors used to throng the farm house of Peter Anker to have a look at the valuable collections brought from India which were neatly and artistically arranged for public view.

On April 17th 1832 Peter Anker died on his farm "Oeraker" at Kria. Since Peter Anker had no Children he bequeathed all he owned to his nephew, Erik Anker. The latter s son Carl Johan Anker inherited the Art Collections and donated them to the university museum of cultural heritage Oslo, Norway in 1878. In addition to the works in the museums possession there are number of works by Peter Anker in private ownerships.

Peter Anker s collection has a unique position. He worked in an international expressive form marked by the taste and style of the times and in an exotic environment.

His drawings have Quality and they belong to the first generation of works from India. We hope that Peter Anker's collections may create renewed interest in India s importance to the European Countries that had colonies in India.

REFERENCES:

1.  "Govemor General Peter Anker Painter and Collector" by Dorthea Hysing. 
2.  "Trankebar" By Hans Gregersen.
3.  Translation of an Article 'in salmonsens konversations Leksikon, Vol-1 page 774 sent by Rev. Jesper Birkler, Denmark.
4.  "Tarangambadi" by Dr. R. Nagasamy.
5.  Encylopedia Britanica. 
6.  www. trankebar. net