{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O431930"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O431930/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2022NC9720/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2022NC9720/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2022NC9720","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O431930/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O431930","accessionNumber":"1129-1869","objectType":"Painting","titles":[{"title":"Rameshwar cave, Ellora","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"William Simpson, born on 28 October 1823 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. The firm commissioned him to go to India and record places associated with the events of the Indian Mutiny of 1857.   \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 themselves formed an authentic record of his travels. In India, 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. \n\r\nSimpson’s observations in India resulted in detailed and evocative interpretations in his work. The tiger in this painting stares, almost in reverence, at a female dvarpala (doorway guardian). On the left, a rectangular bas-relief panel shows Shiva and Parvati seated above Mount Kailasa. Ravana, the ten-headed king of demons, tries to disrupt the gods from beneath. The tiger’s presence in the colonnaded grand hall animates and romanticises the architectural scene.\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, he was made a company shareholder as part of payment. Two years later, his collection of 250 watercolours was sold as bankrupt stock.  ","physicalDescription":"Painting of the interior view of the colonnaded grand hall in the Rameshwar cave at Ellora. The elaborate bas-relief shows Shiva and Parvati seated above Mount Kaila¯sa. Ravana, the ten-headed king of demons, tries to disrupt the gods from beneath. A tiger stares at the at a female dvarpala (doorway guardian). ","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":"Pencil and watercolour on paper","categories":[],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2022NC9720"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"006","id":"THES403497"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Painting","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Ellora","id":"x38726"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1862","earliest":"1862-01-01","latest":"1862-12-31"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Purchased from Messrs Day and Son Ltd (London) in 1869","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Width","value":"265","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Length","value":"351","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"<i>Front</i> - Rameshwar Cave. Ellora. 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> - 65. Rameshwar Cave, Ellora.\r\nThis is an illustration of the highly – wrought character of these Caves, which are, in general, elaborately carved throughout with huge bas-reliefs. In some of them, the whole Hindoo mythology is represented, which has been computed at 32,000,000; and “this is not the whole of them!”. On the left of the drawing is one of the many sculptures in this Cave, representing Siva and Parbuttie in Kylas (heaven), with Ravana beneath, trying to shake the great god above him. ","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 Rameshwar cave, Ellora By William Simpson, pencil and watercolour on paper, India, 1862","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Registered File number RF/1869/6716"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"","id":""}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Simpson’s observations in India resulted in detailed and evocative interpretations in his work. The tiger in this painting stares, almost\r\nin reverence, at a female dvarpala (doorway guardian). On the left, a rectangular bas-relief panel shows Shiva and Parvati seated above Mount Kailasa. Ravana, the ten-headed king of demons, tries to disrupt the gods from beneath. The tiger’s presence in the colonnaded grand hall animates and romanticises the architectural scene.","date":{"text":"23/03/2022","earliest":"2022-03-23","latest":"2022-03-23"}}],"partNumbers":["1129-1869"],"accessionNumberNum":"1129","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1869,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-03-20","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-25","availableToBook":false}}