Lama Praying Cylinder

The central element is a nine‑foot‑high cylindrical prayer‑wheel, adorned with multicoloured ornaments and Tibetan script, mounted on iron spindles at each end. A monk is shown operating the wheel by pulling a cord attached to a lower crank, illustrating a ritual act of devotion within the monastic setting.

Simpson employed watercolor to achieve luminous colour and fine line work, translating his on‑site pencil sketches into a finished piece after returning to London. The painting balances the precise detailing of the wheel’s decoration with broader, impressionistic washes that convey the interior’s light and atmosphere.

Simpson first made a rapid pencil sketch of the monastery during a 1859 visit to India, after his earlier assignments documenting the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He completed the watercolor in London in 1862, later publishing a description of the scene in his 1896 book on Buddhist prayer‑wheels.

The work forms part of Simpson’s larger series of Indian subjects commissioned by the London lithography firm Day and Sons. It reflects the Victorian fascination with exotic locales and the artist’s role as a visual recorder of British imperial encounters, particularly in the aftermath of the 1857 revolt.