Drawing of a man flattening silver gilt wire. Amritsar Jail 1870.

A turbaned man seated on a mat, holds a hammer in his raised right hand to flatten silver gilt wire aginst a wooden block. A water jug (lota) lies behind him and a small bowl with wire is beside him. The man is a convict from Amritsar jail.

Historical significance: John Lockwood Kipling (1837-1911) was born in Yorkshire but as his career developed became an established artist and scholar, and in 1865 settled in India with his family. He became professor of architectural sculpture at the JeeJeebhay School of Art in Bombay and in 1882 curator of the Lahore museum. During his career JL Kipling was a member of the Department for Art and Science at the Victoria and Albert Museum and was also involved in the museum's decoration. John Lockwood Kipling was the father of Rudyard Kipling, author of the famous novels Jungle Book and Kim.
Transferred from the India Museum in 1879. 1880 Register Entry: [ Room 8. On The Wall.] '0929. TWENTY-EIGHT FRAMES, glazed, each containing two sketches, by J. L. Kipling, of the School of Art, Bombay, illustrating the craftsmen of North-western India. 1 to 56'

0929:16/(IS)