Artwork
Three boys making a fringe for an elephant decoration
Three boys making a fringe for an elephant decoration is a drawing by the Impressionist artist John Lockwood Kipling. It dates from 1870 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Lockwood Kipling’s 1870 drawing shows three boys working on a fringe for an elephant decoration. It’s just a quick sketch, not a big painting.
Kipling spent years in India. He taught art and made designs for buildings and objects. His son Rudyard was born there a few years earlier.
Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see this drawing in person.
Overview
This 1870 drawing by John Lockwood Kipling depicts three boys engaged in crafting a fringe for an elephant decoration. Executed during Kipling's tenure in India, the work is a quick sketch rather than a elaborate painting.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing focuses on three boys at work, highlighting their involvement in traditional craftsmanship. The subject reflects Kipling's interest in documenting and promoting Indian artisanal practices, which were facing decline due to European imports.
Technique & Style
The work is characterized by its sketchy, quick execution, suggesting an observational or documentary approach. Typical of Kipling's sketches from his Indian period, it prioritizes capturing the scene over intricate detail.
History & Provenance
Drawn in Delhi, November 1870, this sketch was part of Kipling's government-commissioned project to sketch Indian craftsmen across the North-West Provinces. It is now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection.
Context
Created during Kipling's early years in India (after his 1865 appointment in Bombay and before his 1875 role in Lahore), the drawing intersects with his dual roles as an educator and promoter of traditional Indian crafts. His son, Rudyard Kipling, was born in India in 1865.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Lockwood Kipling filled sketchbooks with the daily life he saw around him in British India, drawing craftsmen at work, farmers at market, and seed planters in fields.
