The Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri
Painting
1865 (made)
1865 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
William Simpson (1823 - 1899) 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.
The Buland Darwaza (main gateway) of the Jami Masjid stands fifty-two metres high. The masjid, the principle building at Fatehpur Sikri was constructed by the Mughal emperor Akbar and completed between 1571 and 1572. Simpson's view is unusual in that he depicts the gateway from the side in order to include the pretty water-tank in the foreground.
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.
The Buland Darwaza (main gateway) of the Jami Masjid stands fifty-two metres high. The masjid, the principle building at Fatehpur Sikri was constructed by the Mughal emperor Akbar and completed between 1571 and 1572. Simpson's view is unusual in that he depicts the gateway from the side in order to include the pretty water-tank in the foreground.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour on paper |
| Brief description | Painting of the Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri, by William Simpson, watercolour on paper, India, 1862 |
| Physical description | Painting of the Buland Darwaza (main gateway) of the Jami Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra in Uttar Pradesh. This side view of the gateway highlights the jhalra (water-tank) situated to its west. A local woman in traditional clothing carries a water-pot on her head. Behind her, a dog rests on the ground along the trabeated red-sandstone structure. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Futtehpore Sieri. nr. Agra. Wm. Simpson. 1864. |
| Gallery label | The Buland Darwaza of the Jami Masjid stands fifty-two metres high. The masjid, the principle building at Fatehpur Sikri was constructed by the Mughal emperor Akbar and completed between 1571 and 1572. Simpson's view is unusual in that he depicts the gateway from the side in order to include the pretty water-tank in the foreground.(1/12/2008) |
| Credit line | Purchased from Messrs Day and Son Ltd (London) in 1869 |
| Object history | Simpson, William (1823-1899). Painter and lithographer. Simpson was apprenticed to a lithographer in Glasgow and in 1851 came to London where he made views of the Great Exhibition. He became well known for his paintings with commissions by Queen Victoria to paint various important events in her reign. In 1859 the publishers, Day and Son, commissioned him to make drawings of India. On his return he produced "India, ancient and modern" (London, 1867), a series of illustrations of the country and its people. Later in 1876, he accompanied the Prince of Wales to India and published "Shikare and Tomasha, a souvenir of the visit of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to India (London, 1876). |
| Summary | William Simpson (1823 - 1899) 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. The Buland Darwaza (main gateway) of the Jami Masjid stands fifty-two metres high. The masjid, the principle building at Fatehpur Sikri was constructed by the Mughal emperor Akbar and completed between 1571 and 1572. Simpson's view is unusual in that he depicts the gateway from the side in order to include the pretty water-tank in the foreground. |
| Bibliographic reference | Patel, Divia; Rohatgi, Pauline and Godrej, Pheroza, "Indian Life and Landscape by Western Artists: an exhibition of paintings and drawings from the 17th to the early 20th century organised by the V&A and CSMVS". Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai and Victoria and Albert Museum, 2008, ISBN:81-901020-8-7
p. 72
Registered File number RF/1869/6716 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1133-1869 |
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| Record created | February 23, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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