'View of a Mosque at Moorshedabad [Murshidabad] with representation of a bazaar or Indian market'.

Aquatint with etching of a mosque at Murshidabad by and after James Moffat (1775-1815) and published in Calcutta c.1809. This aquatint is one of a set of views of Bengal and along the Ganges. James Moffat, a Scotsman, was based in Calcutta from the age of fourteen and is thought to have learnt his trade as an engraver in the city. Murshidabad is situated north of Calcutta in West Bengal. In 1704, the Nawab of Bengal transferred his capital from Dacca to Murshidabad. In 1757, a series of military disputes between the Nawab and the English East india Company resulted in the rise of English supremacy in Bengal. Although the town of Murshidabad continued to house the residence of the Nawab, it was no longer a place of politcal power. Thanks to Muslim rule, there are numerous Mosques and Tombs dating from this period in Murshidabad.