Study of a banyan tree at Mauringa, Assam in pencil, pen and possibly ink and traces of chalk.

Mauringa, India

15 October 1861
De Fabeck, Frederick William Alexander, born 1830 - died 1912

Pencil, pen and ink (?), watercolour , traces of chalk (?) heightened with white

The brothers Frederick William Alexander de Fabeck (1830-1912) and William Frederick de Fabeck (1834-1906) were both employed in the Indian Medical Service. Frederick William was born on 15 September 1830 and studied in Paris. He became a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, in 1858, the year in which he was appointed Assistant Surgeon in the Bengal Service. He died in Alassio, Italy, on 5 May 1912. William Frederick became Assistant Surgeon in the Madras Service in 1857, Surgeon in 1869, Surgeon Major in 1873, and Brigade Surgeon in 1882. His sketches, mainly of architectural details, were probably made when he was posted to Jaipur as a teacher at the School of Art (1869-7?); he later became Director. He also prepared plans for the 1883 Jaipur Exhibition. He served in the Crimea (1954-5) and was at the siege and capture of Sebastopol. He died in London on 18 January 1906.

This painting is by the elder brother, Frederick William, and shows a banyan tree at Mauringa in Assam, north-east India. The banyan is an Indian fig-tree (Ficus Indica or Ficus Bengalensis) with vast rooting branches.

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