{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O431919"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O431919/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2023NJ7973/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2023NJ7973/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2023NJ7973","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O431919/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O431919","accessionNumber":"1159-1869","objectType":"Painting","titles":[{"title":"Temple of Payer in Pulwama, Kashmir","type":"generic title"}],"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 visited the temple of Payer (also called Payech) in Pulwama in Kashmir in 1859. He was the first Western artist to make a complete set of drawings of the architecture in Kashmir in the 19th century. In his autobiography, Simpson notes – ‘On my return from India, I made the acquaintance of Mr. James Fergusson, the great authority on Indian architecture. This became a very close friendship till his death in 1886. On seeing my sketches, particularly those of Kashmir architecture, of which no such complete set of drawings had before been done, he suggested that I should read a paper at the Royal Institute of British Architects. This I did in May 1862, shortly after my return, and the paper was the first of many I read to them.’","physicalDescription":"Painting of the temple of Payer in Pulwama in Kashmir, India. The monolithic grey sandstone structure consists of a double pyramidal roof with triangular pediments which enclose a trefoil arch. The sculpted reliefs on the exterior include geese, bulls, yakshas and decorative bands. The roof is surmounted by a stylised waterpot. In the foreground, a young shepherd tends to his cattle.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Simpson, William RI FRGS","id":"A10511"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"watercolour (paint)","id":"AAT15045"},{"text":"paper (fiber product)","id":"AAT14109"}],"techniques":[{"text":"watercolour painting (technique)","id":"THES250889"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Watercolour on paper","categories":[{"text":"Architecture","id":"THES48993"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2023NJ7973"],"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":"1862","earliest":"1862-01-01","latest":"1862-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Purchased from Messrs Day and Son Ltd (London) in 1869","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"350","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"245","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"<i>Front </i>- Temple of Pa Yetsh, Cashmere. 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> - 183. (100) Temple of Pa Yetsh, Cashmere..2 \r\n\r\n100. Temple of Pa Yetsh, Cashmere.  \r\nThis little temple was the only one which escaped destruction by fire at the hands of the Mahomedans; it is, therefore, the perfect of all such remains. It has, nevertheless, suffered from other causes, an earthquake having considerably shattered it. The effects of this convulsion are visible in the rents and fissures in the upper portion of the edifice. ","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":"William Simpson, watercolour, Temple of Payer in Pulwama, Kashmir, India, 1862","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","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":["1159-1869"],"accessionNumberNum":"1159","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1869,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-08-26","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-25","availableToBook":true}}