Indian Antiquities

Impression of the State Ballroom or Ashok Mandap, William Walcot, Watercolour on paper

Location: Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Ph-II

The Ashok Mandap was originally conceived to be the massive state ballroom of the Viceroy house. The two ends of this room have three round arches which were outlined as open space for the dancers to wait for their dancing partners.

This watercolour painting by William Walcot was painted in Lutyens London office in 1912. It represents the ceiling of this hall according to Edwin Lutyens. He wanted it to be painted in a starry, compass like design which is represented in this watercolour.

The ceiling was transformed into one with Persian grandeur under Lady Willington. Lutyens hated it and described it as a damage to his buildings.

William Walcot was born in 1874 at Lustdorf, near Odessa and was a British architect, graphic artist and etcher. He was appraised the best architectural draftsmen in London during 1920- 1030. He studied arts and architecture under Leon Benois at the Imperial Academy of Arts at Saint Petersburg. He was the principal draftsmen for the drafting of the architectural drawings for the Rashtrapati Bhavan, in its plan and elevation.