Robert Wight and the Botanical Drawings of Rungiah and Govindoo

• H.J. Noltie

  The lavishly-illustrated three-volume set of books Robert Wight and the Botanical Drawings of Rungiah and Govindoo by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s Henry Noltie has been selected as one of the 100 most notable books on India published this century. 

  Published by the Garden in 2007, these volumes explore the life and work of Robert Wight, a Scot who travelled widely in South India during the early 19^th century, and the botanical paintings made for him by Rungiah and Govindoo, artists of the Thanjavur school. The combination of western scientific methods and Indian artistic practice contributed hugely to the knowledge of plants of the Subcontinent.

  The book has been included in a selection of books made by the Delhi-based curator Pramod Kumar as part of the Serendipity Arts Festival held in Panjim, Goa, 15 to 23 December, and is credited with adding a new direction to the historical corpus of books about India.  The book is available for purchase at the Botanics Shop.

  £48.00. Available to buy online