Where Every Prospect Pleases – Ceylon Through the Eyes of Foreign Artists 1600–2000: Volumes I & II by Anura Saparamadu is a landmark visual and historical study that chronicles how the island of Ceylon—today’s Sri Lanka—was seen and portrayed by foreign artists over four centuries. Featuring more than 1,000 paintings, drawings, and watercolours by 460 artists, these two volumes trace the evolution of artistic encounters from the arrival of Portuguese and Dutch explorers to the end of the twentieth century.
 
With scholarly commentary and rare imagery, Saparamadu illuminates how Western artistic traditions helped shape the visual identity of the island and influenced generations of Sri Lankan painters—from early figures such as Haramanis de Alwis Seneviratne and J. L. K. van Dort to George Keyt, Justin Pieris Deraniyagala, and the ’43 Group. Together, these works form a vivid chronicle of cultural exchange, colonial encounter, and aesthetic transformation.
 
Published by W. L. H. Skeen & Company (2024, First Edition), this monumental two-volume set stands as an indispensable reference for historians, art collectors, and anyone fascinated by the intersection of art, empire, and the enduring beauty of Ceylon.