Vincent Arthur Smith


Vincent Arthur Smith,, was an Irish Indologist and art historian.

Biography

Smith was born in Dublin on 3 June 1843 which was then part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. His father was Dr , well known in medical and numismatic circles in Dublin and London.
He passed the Indian Civil Services exam in 1871 and was appointed to what would become the United Provinces in India. He would go to serve between 1871–1900 in a variety of magisterial and executive positions including terms as district and sessions judge eventually retiring as commissioner in July 1900.
By 1910 Smith was settled in Oxford where he joined St. John's College and was appointed a Curator of the Indian Institute.
After his return to England, Smith wrote books on various rulers such as the Buddhist emperor, Ashoka and the Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a history of fine arts in India and Ceylon. He also published two comprehensive volumes on Indian history, The Early History of India and The Oxford History of India.
Smith was honoured with the award of Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire and awarded a doctorate by Dublin University in 1919.
He died in Oxford on 6 February 1920.

Works