{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O16889"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O16889/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AV1445/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AV1445/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AV1445","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O16889/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O16889","accessionNumber":"IS.51-1963","objectType":"Painting","titles":[{"title":"A Shawl goat","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"The pictures made by Indian artists for the British in India are called Company paintings. This one was originally in the collection of Sir Elijah Impey and Lady Impey, who commissioned over 300 pictures in Calcutta between 1777 and 1782. Sir Elijah was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Fort William. He was a man of great intellect and wide-ranging interests. The Impeys were passionately interested in the flora and fauna of India and formed a private menagerie at their house, where they assembled birds and animals. From 1777 they employed three Indian artists to paint their collection. One of them was the Muslim painter Shaykh Zayn al-Din, who probably came originally from Patna. \r\nIn 1775 Warren Hastings, the first British Governor-General of India, had sent an embassy to the Panchen Lama in Tibet. He privately commissioned its leader to bring back specimens of flora and fauna for the menagerie. They travelled via Bhutan, and it seems likely that they acquired this shawl goat on that occasion. There was great interest at the time in whether the wool of the goat could be a financially rewarding commercial venture.","physicalDescription":"A shawl goat, whose fleece is woven into making shawls.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Zayn al-Din","id":"A2460"},"association":{"text":"painter (artist)","id":"AAT25136"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"watercolour","id":"x33202"},{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"}],"techniques":[{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Watercolour on paper","categories":[{"text":"Indian Company Paintings","id":"THES49045"},{"text":"Animals and Wildlife","id":"THES250852"}],"styles":[{"text":"Company","id":"AAT18959"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2006AV1445"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"SRP","id":"THES49620"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"ABOVE","box":"402"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Painting","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Calcutta","id":"x32018"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1779","earliest":"1774-01-01","latest":"1783-12-31"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"53.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"75","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"The Shaul Goat from Boutan in the Collection of Lady Impey. Painted by Zayn al-Din [the name in Persian script] Native of Patna 1779","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"English and Persian","medium":"ink","method":"","position":"lower left of obverse","script":"Roman and Persian","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"Inscription; decoration","note":"Inscription; decoration; English and Persian; Roman and Persian; lower left of obverse; ink"},{"content":"From the nose to the tail 3'9; behind the horns to the rump' 2'8; height from the shoulders 1'7; height behind 1'10","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"English","medium":"pencil","method":"","position":"left of obverse","script":"Roman","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"Inscription; decoration","note":"Inscription; decoration; English; Roman; left of obverse; pencil"}],"objectHistory":"This was painted for Sir Elijah Impey and was part of a group of animal and plant studies given to the Linnean Society, London. The Linnean Society sold the Impey seriesof Natural History drawings at Sotheby's in London on 10 June 1963; the museum bought it after the auction via Maggs for £165.00. The Sikh court made lavish use of woven goat fleece shawls as wearing apparel, tents and furnishings.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Painting; watercolour, A Shawl goat, Calcutta, ca. 1779","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Archer, Mildred. <u> Company Paintings Indian Paintings of the British period</u> \r\nVictoria and Albert Museum Indian Series London: Victoria and Albert Museum, Maplin Publishing, 1992, 97 p ISBN 0944142303\r\n"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"goat","id":"x30394"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["IS.51-1963"],"accessionNumberNum":"51","accessionNumberPrefix":"IS","accessionYear":1963,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-11","recordCreationDate":"1999-12-15","availableToBook":true}}