MCCUTCHION, David J. Coventry 12.8.1930 — Calcutta 12.1.1972. British Scholar of Indian Art. Educated in Coventry. After the war served one year in R.A.F. in Singapore, then from 1950 studied French and German at Jesus College, Cambridge. In 1953-55 teacher in southern France. Interested in India he went to Bengal in 1957 and taught literature at Visva-Bharati, then at Jadavpur University in Calcutta. In 1962 he started the field study of the brick-temples of Bengal. In his last year a visiting Lecturer at University of Sussex. Died of Polio. Beside architecture (especially the brick temples), he was among the first scholars to study Indian literature written in English.

Publications: The Temples of Bankura District. Calcutta (1967/72?), “Late Mediaeval Temples of Bengal”, JASB 4:12, 1970, 1-80, 159 photos on pl., 8 fig., the also as As. Soc. Monograph Series 20. Calcutta 1972.

– Indian Writing in English: Critical Essays. 142 p. Calcutta 1969.

– G. Mitchell (ed.): Brick Temples of Bengal: From the Archives of David McCutchion,. 17+254 p. Princeton, N.J. 1983.

– With S. K. Bhowmick, Patuas and Patua Art in Bengal. 5+172 p. ill. Calcutta  1999.

– Unpublished Letters & Selected Articles. 154 p. ill. Calcutta  2009.

Sources: *P. Lal (ed.), D.M. Shraddhanjali. 1972; Chr. Rollason, “David McCutchion, Pioneer Critic of Raja Rao”, J. Sarangi (ed.), Raja Rao: The Master and his Moves. N.D. 2006, 9-20 (http://www.yatrarollason.info/files/RaoandMcCutchion.pdf); Wikipedia.