Bridge of ropes on the Sutlej
Painting
1860 (made)
1860 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
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.
Simpson 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.
During Simpson's first Himalayan tour he travelled to Chini, 10,000 feet above the Sutlej valley. The journey involved crossing the Sutlej River by a rope bridge. The precarious nature of the bridge and the fierce current of the river instilled both curiosity and fear in the Europeans who saw it. Simpson captures the drama of the scene, with one figure hanging on the bridge and the awe-inspiring mountains in the background.
Simpson 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.
During Simpson's first Himalayan tour he travelled to Chini, 10,000 feet above the Sutlej valley. The journey involved crossing the Sutlej River by a rope bridge. The precarious nature of the bridge and the fierce current of the river instilled both curiosity and fear in the Europeans who saw it. Simpson captures the drama of the scene, with one figure hanging on the bridge and the awe-inspiring mountains in the background.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Bridge of ropes on the Sutlej (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour on paper |
| Brief description | Painting of a rope bridge across the river Sutlej, near Chini, Himalayas, William Simpson, India, 1860. |
| Physical description | Bridge of ropes on the Sutlej. One man is crossing the bridge while others on the bankside pull him across. Grand mountains in the background. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | signed 'W.Simpson' |
| Gallery label | During Simpson's first Himalayan tour he travelled to Chini, 10,000 feet above the Sutlej valley. The journey involved crossing the Sutlej River by a rope bridge. The precarious nature of the bridge and the fierce current of the river instilled both curiosity and fear in the Europeans who saw it. Simpson captures the drama of the scene, with one figure hanging on the bridge and the awe-inspiring mountains in the background.(1/12/2008) |
| Credit line | Purchased from Messrs Day and Son Ltd (London) in 1869 |
| Object history | Historical significance: William Simpson (1823 - 1899) William Simpson was commissioned to go to India by his employers, Day and Sons, the London lithography firm. Having established his reputation by documenting the Crimean war in 1854, he was instructed to sketch well-known sites in and around Delhi associated with the heavy fighting of 1857. Simpson arrived in Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1859 and travelled widely. His rapid pencil drawings formed the preparatory studies for his finished watercolours which were done after his return to London in 1862. His fond memories of India, as noted in his journal, resulted in these highly coloured, evocative and romantic interpretations of the Indian landscape. Simpson, a largely self-taught artist from a poor family in Scotland, had hoped to achieve fame on the publication of his paintings in a lavishly illustrated volume. Unfortunately, financial problems led to the poorly printed India Ancient and Modern containing only fifty images. Simpson called it the ‘big disaster’ of his life. The V&A has the single most important collection of watercolours made during Simpson's first expedition to India. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | 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. Simpson 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. During Simpson's first Himalayan tour he travelled to Chini, 10,000 feet above the Sutlej valley. The journey involved crossing the Sutlej River by a rope bridge. The precarious nature of the bridge and the fierce current of the river instilled both curiosity and fear in the Europeans who saw it. Simpson captures the drama of the scene, with one figure hanging on the bridge and the awe-inspiring mountains in the background. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1160-1869 |
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| Record created | January 24, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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