{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O431920"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O431920/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2023NJ7971/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2023NJ7971/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2023NJ7971","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017JV6816","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O431920/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O431920","accessionNumber":"1154-1869","objectType":"Painting","titles":[{"title":"Enclosure of Martand, Kashmir ","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 visited the Martand temple in Kashmir in 1859 and completed this painting early the following year. 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 Martand in Kashmir, India. The stone block masonry temple appears in ruins. The pedimented structure, made from grey limestone, is interspersed with columns influenced by the Doric order. Architectural fragments and rubble from around the site are scattered before the monument. A panel carved with an elephant is seen in the foreground.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Simpson, William RI FRGS","id":"A10511"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"x40240"},"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":["2023NJ7971","2017JV6816"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"005","id":"THES403504"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Painting","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"India","id":"x29790"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1860","earliest":"1860-01-01","latest":"1860-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Purchased from Messrs Day and Son Ltd (London) in 1869","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"335","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> - Enclosure of Martand, Cashmere. Wm. Simpson 1860.","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> - 1,9. (101) The Enclosure of Martund, Cashmere\r\n\r\n101. The Enclosure of Martund, Cashmere \r\nThis sketch seems to indicate that the Greeks have left some influence upon the architecture of this part of India. Though presenting some very marked points of difference, there are others in which the similarity to the Classic style is very great. That flat flutes of columns identify with the Doric. Many of the mouldings are also very classic, and the denteles, although different in details from the Greek, add to the impression. The first idea, on looking at this view, is that it is in Greece, and not in India. The features here given are found, more or less, in all the old architecture of Cashmere. It is supposed to have been built about 800 years ago. ","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, Enclosure of Martand, Kashmir, India, 1860","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":["1154-1869"],"accessionNumberNum":"1154","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1869,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-08-26","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-25","availableToBook":true}}