Not currently on display at the V&A

Study of women from Ladakh

Painting
August 1853 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

William Carpenter was the eldest son of the distinguished portrait painter Margaret SarahCarpenter and of William Hookham Carpenter, who became Keeper of the Prints and Drawings Department at the British Museum. In early 1850 he set off in the footsteps of his younger brother Percy, also an artist, and landed in Bombay. He spent much of his time painting portraits of local rulers and the surrounding countryside, often wearing Indian dress himself. He travelled widely, from Sri Lanka in the south to Kashmir in the north, and he also spent some time in the Punjab and Afghanistan before moving south to Rajasthan. He appears to have returned to England in 1856. Ten years later he was living in Boston, USA, but he moved back to London, where he died in 1899. Carpenter's Indian pictures display a particular interest in costume, agriculture, and the day-to-day lives of the local inhabitants. This portrait of a Ladakhi woman was painted in Simla, in the Punjab, in August 1853.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleStudy of women from Ladakh
Materials and techniques
Pencil and watercolour on paper
Brief description
Painting, study of women from Ladakh, Pencil and watercolour on paper, by William Carpenter, Simla, August 1853.
Dimensions
  • Height: 34cm
  • Width: 24.6cm
Gallery label
This may have been painted during one of three annual visits that Carpenter made to Kashmir starting in 1853. The women wear the typical jewellery of Ladakh, most noticeably the perak headdress, a length of felt extending down the back onto which are sewn pieces of turquoise and amulet boxes. Multiple amulet boxes strung on necklaces and conch shell bracelets are also being worn. IS.59-1882 THREE LADAKHI WOMEN Watercolour on paper Probably Kashmir William Carpenter 1853-56(27/9/2013)
Credit line
Museum numbers IS.33-1888 to IS.166-1888 purchased from Mr. Carpenter for £500
Summary
William Carpenter was the eldest son of the distinguished portrait painter Margaret SarahCarpenter and of William Hookham Carpenter, who became Keeper of the Prints and Drawings Department at the British Museum. In early 1850 he set off in the footsteps of his younger brother Percy, also an artist, and landed in Bombay. He spent much of his time painting portraits of local rulers and the surrounding countryside, often wearing Indian dress himself. He travelled widely, from Sri Lanka in the south to Kashmir in the north, and he also spent some time in the Punjab and Afghanistan before moving south to Rajasthan. He appears to have returned to England in 1856. Ten years later he was living in Boston, USA, but he moved back to London, where he died in 1899. Carpenter's Indian pictures display a particular interest in costume, agriculture, and the day-to-day lives of the local inhabitants. This portrait of a Ladakhi woman was painted in Simla, in the Punjab, in August 1853.
Collection
Accession number
IS.59-1882

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Record createdDecember 24, 2004
Record URL
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