In 1823 the commission in charge of the decorations at Christiansborg ordered four scenes depicting Danish occupancies by C. A. Lorentzen, now at Amalienborg, catalogued in Weilbach as (in Danish): Patna at the Ganges, The roadstead at Christianssted on St. Croix, an Icelandic landscape and Søndermarken. Lorentzen made 4 sketches for these scenes. This painting is one of these sketches.

Patna was a Danish trade office/factory located at the Ganges River. The trade office was established in 1772, but it never became economically significant and was sold again in 1827.

Lorentzen has not tried to make a realistic depiction of the landscape at Patna. On the contrary, the painting represents the classical idea of an exotic ideal landscape with exotic animals (rhinos, camels), dancers, palm trees and classical buildings and ruins.

Provenance: The artist's estate auction, Charlottenborg 1828 no. 2 with the following description (in Danish): 4 sketches for the 4 works, that the deceased painted for Christiansborg Castle. They depict a Zealandic, an Icelandic, an East Indian and a West Indian landscape. On canvas, 1 Al. 5 Tom. wide, 1 Al. high. (alen and tommer are old Danish length units).