{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O66812"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O66812/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2012FH1497/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2012FH1497/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2012FH1497","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006BE6560","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017KC3209","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O66812/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O66812","accessionNumber":"68-1890","objectType":"Watercolour","titles":[{"title":"Interior of a school, Cairo","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"In this scene depicted by Lewis, the Hoja or teacher is listening to his assistant rhythmically reciting  the Quran (while beating time),  as some children pay attention and others not. Some commentators have regarded the presence of a young girl as inauthentic,  but young girls were able to attend Quran schools, according to the artist Charles de Tournemine, the scholar Edward Lane and the translator Richard Burton. Certainly not all women were illiterate, and some female descendants of the prophet were noted for their ability to read and recite the scriptures.","physicalDescription":"A water and body colour painting showing the interior of an Egyptian Quran school, the children reciting under the gaze of their teacher, with a cat and pigeons in the foreground.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Lewis, John Frederick (RA POWCS)","id":"A8614"},"association":{"text":"Artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[{"text":"Painting","id":"x30598"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"watercolour","categories":[{"text":"Historic Cairo","id":"THES273264"},{"text":"Paintings","id":"THES48917"},{"text":"Watercolours","id":"THES277714"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2012FH1497","2006BE6560","2017KC3209"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"TOPIC","shelf":"3J","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Watercolour","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"No","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Walton on Thames","id":"x32620"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1865","earliest":"1865-01-01","latest":"1865-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"47.1","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"60","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Purchased 1890","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Interior of a school, Cairo, by John Frederick Lewis, water and body colour, 1865","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"Tromans, Nicholas (Ed.), <i>The Lure of the East : British Orientalist Painting</i>. Tate, London, 2008","id":"AUTH351239"},"details":"Fig.78","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"Coombs, Katherine <i>British watercolours : 1750-1950</i> . London: V&A Publications, 2012","id":"AUTH346240"},"details":"p.37, pl.27","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"Cairo","id":"x28776"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"schools","id":"AAT6495"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"John Frederick Lewis 1804/5-1876\nInterior of a School, Cairo\n1865\n\n\n\nThe teacher is listening to a pupil repeat his lesson. Some children pay attention and others not. Some commentators have regarded the presence of a girl as inauthentic, but according to various travellers, girls were able to attend school when they were very young.\n\n\n\nWatercolour and bodycolour\n\nPurchased 1890\nMuseum no. 68-1890","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}},{"text":"John Frederick Lewis 1805-1876\r\nInterior of a school, Cairo\r\nWatercolour\r\n\r\nLewis perfected a technique of using dense watercolour to render in exquisite detail brilliantly coloured scenes of oriental life. Here he shows the interior of a religious school for young children learning to read and recite the Quran. Lewis lived in Cairo from 1840 to 1850.                    \r\n \r\nPurchased 1890                                                                                               68-1890","date":{"text":"January 2003","earliest":"2003-01-01","latest":"2003-01-31"}}],"partNumbers":["68-1890"],"accessionNumberNum":"68","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1890,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-23","recordCreationDate":"2002-07-30","availableToBook":false}}