{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O108366"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O108366/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BF9156/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BF9156/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006BF9156","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O108366/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O108366","accessionNumber":"1158-1869","objectType":"Painting","titles":[{"title":"Lama Praying Cylinder","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"William Simpson (1823 - 1899) was a distinguished watercolourist and war artist. Having established his reputation by documenting the Crimean war in 1854, Day and Sons, the London lithography firm, commissioned him to sketch well-known sites in and around Delhi associated with the Revolt of 1857 by Indians against the rule of the British East India Company. \r\n\r\nSimpson arrived in Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1859 and travelled widely. His rapid pencil drawings formed the preparatory studies for his finished watercolours done after his return to London in 1862. His detailed journal, sketches and pictures from India resulted in these highly coloured, evocative, and romantic interpretations of the landscape and architecture.\r\n                  \r\nSimpson reimagined this painting from a sketch he made when he visited a monastery in 1861. In his book, the Buddhist praying-wheel (published in 1896), Simpson notes ‘The place was a monastery, and I had some trouble in finding my way in, but at last I gained admittance, and made a sketch of the room, including the cylinder and the monk. The cylinder might be about nine feet in height and four feet in diameter, with an iron spindle at each end; on the lower one there was a crank to which a string was attached, and by simply pulling this the machine went slowly round. It was gaudily painted with many bright colours, in which ornaments and Tibetan letters formed the designs; the walls of the room were also decorated with paintings of Buddhist figures.’","physicalDescription":"Painting of a Lama in a monastery working the prayer wheel. The Lama recites a mantra from the Buddhist scriptures in front of him, while simultaneously turning the wheel with a string attached to a crank on the cylinder. The tall cylinder is painted in vivid colours with inscriptions. The monastery walls are decorated with Buddhist figures. Several ritualistic objects - a lamp, a vajra (diamond sceptre), a bell and a large drum – lie in the foreground. ","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Simpson, William","id":"A10511"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"watercolour","id":"x33202"}],"techniques":[{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Pencil and watercolour on tinted paper","categories":[{"text":"Images Online","id":"THES48937"},{"text":"Paintings","id":"THES48917"},{"text":"Religion","id":"THES48900"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2006BF9156"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"005","id":"THES403504"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Painting","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"May 1861-July 1861","earliest":"1861-05-01","latest":"1861-07-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Purchased from Messrs Day and Son Ltd (London) in 1869","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"35","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"25","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"<i>Front</i> - Lama Praying Cylinder Wm. Simpson 1862.","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""},{"content":"<i>Back </i>- 180. (11) Lama Praying-cylinder… 30 \r\n\r\n11. Lama Praying-cylinder.\r\nA very few marches beyond Chini suffice to bring the traveller amongst the Lamas, who are the Buddhists of Thibet, and whose worship is strikingly different to that of the Hindoos on the other side of the Himalayas. One of its most remarkable features is that of praying by machinery. These praying machines are composed of cylinders, which are made to revolve, a spindle passing through them. On this spindle are threaded a vast number of circular pieces of paper, corresponding with the diameter of the cylinder; on each of the successive layers a mystic sentence is written, and repeated again and again in concentric circles until the whole surface is covered, and these are deposited one over the other until the entire bulk is filled. The mystic sentence alluded to runs thus: “Aum mani padmi hoong”, which somewhat expansively signifies, according to Sir William Jones, “Let us adore the supremacy of that divine sun the Godhead, who illuminates all, from whom all things proceed, to whom all must return, and whom we invoke to direct our understandings aright in our progress towards the holy seat”. Before the worshipper begins turning the machine he has to utter the sentence, “Aum mani padmi hoong”, and to repeat the same at conclusion of his devotions, otherwise his prayers could be of no avail. ","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"William Simpson (1823 - 1899), born in Glasgow, was a distinguished watercolourist and war artist. Following a seven-year apprenticeship with a specialist lithographic firm, he moved to London in February 1851 and found employment with Day and Sons. Having established his reputation by documenting the Crimean war in 1854, he was commissioned to sketch well-known sites in and around Delhi associated with the Revolt of 1857 against the rule of the British East India Company. \r\n\r\nSimpson arrived in Calcutta (Kolkata) at the end of October 1859 and travelled extensively. Throughout his life, he kept careful diaries, and his hundreds of sketches and pictures form an invaluable record of his travels. He planned to produce four large volumes with approximately 250 plates to be lithographed as illustrations. He spent seven years on the project – three years making preparatory works and the rest in London working his sketches into finished paintings. His life and work in India resulted in these highly coloured, evocative, and romantic interpretations of the landscape and architecture.\r\n\r\nWhile Simpson was away, Day and Son had been drifting into debt. In 1867, before it finally went into liquidation at the end of the year, Simpson was made a company shareholder as part payment for his work. Two years later, his collection of 250 watercolours were sold as bankrupt stock. The V&A purchased 44 original watercolours from Day & Son, Limited (London) in 1869.  ","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Painting of a Lama in a monastery, India, by William Simpson, pencil and watercolour on paper, London, 1862","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"Rohatgi P. and Parlett G., assisted by Imray S. and Godrej P. <u>Indian Life and Landscape by Western Artists: Paintings and Drawings from the Victoria and Albert Museum, 17th to the early 20th century</u>. Published by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, in association with V&A, London, 2008. ISBN 81-901020-9-5.","id":"AUTH329675"},"details":"p. 285, pl. 41","free":"Registered File number RF/1869/6716"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["1158-1869"],"accessionNumberNum":"1158","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1869,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-15","recordCreationDate":"2005-01-05","availableToBook":true}}