John Lockwood Kipling

John Lockwood Kipling (1837–1911) started his career as an architectural sculptor at the South Kensington Museum (today the Victoria and Albert Museum). Much of his life, however, was spent in British India, where his son Rudyard was born. He taught at the Bombay School of Art and later was appointed principal of the new Mayo School of Art (today Pakistan’s National College of Art and Design) as well as curator of its museum in Lahore.  Over several years, Kipling toured the northern provinces of India, documenting the processes of local craftsmen, a cultural preservation project that provides a unique record of 19th-century Indian craft customs.  This is the first book to explore the full spectrum of artistic, pedagogical, and archival achievements of this fascinating man of letters, demonstrating the sincerity of his work as an artist, teacher, administrator, and activist.  

Published in association with Bard Graduate Center

Exhibition Schedule:

Victoria and Albert Museum, London
(01/14/17–04/02/17)

Bard Graduate Center, New York 
(09/15/17–01/07/18)

“"This is a book that opens your eyes to exactly how much beauty in Britain we owe to India and how we once celebrated the skill and talent of that country."--, Kirsty Stonell Walker, Fanny Cornworth”

“A beautiful catalogue, richly illustrated. But what stands out is the highest grade of sensitive and scholarly writing that as well as bringing perspectives to the subject, brings to life those times and places – ranging from curating craft to casting techniques to social snobbery such as would have been experienced by someone from non-elite origins.”—Avtar Bhatoa, Decorative Arts Society Newsletter Summer 2017
 

"Treat of the year." — Peter Parker, The Spectator

" [a] magisterial exhibition catalogue" — David Ekserdjian, Evening Standard

"a carefully constructed look at Kipling’s oeuvre with both critical, post-colonial perspective and a sensitive acknowledgement of his family life"  — Madeleine Pearce, Pre-Raphaelite Society Review

"this is a work to be consulted, probably for many years to come" — Graham Kent, Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society


“This  is  a  book  that  opens  your  eyes  to  exactly  how  much  beauty  in Britain we owe to India and how we once celebrated the skill and talent of that country.”—, Kirsty Stonell Walker, Fanny Cornworth -- Kirsty Stonell Walker Fanny Cornforth
“This is a beautifully produced volume. Its red front cover sports a whimsical gold­-embossed self­portrait of Kipling sketching, and it is richly illustrated throughout. Running to practically 600 large pages, it is much, much more than a catalogue. No one with an interest in either of the Kiplings, or their milieux, can afford to miss it.”—Jacqueline Bannerjee, Victorian Web -- Jacqueline Bannerjee Victorian Web
“Only now, with the beautiful and illuminating catalogue,  John Lockwood Kipling: Arts and Crafts in the Punjab and London, which accompanies an exhibition presently moving from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum to the Bard Graduate Center Gallery in New York, do I fully appreciate the man, his art and his eye.”–Maxwell Carter, Wall Street Journal -- Maxwell Carter Wall Street Journal
“A beautiful catalogue, richly illustrated. But what stands out is the highest grade of sensitive and scholarly writing that as well as bringing perspectives to the subject, brings to life those times and places – ranging from curating craft to casting techniques to social snobbery such as would have been experienced by someone from non-elite origins.”—Avtar Bhatoa, Decorative Arts Society Newsletter Summer 2017
  -- Avtar Bhatoa Decorative Arts Society

Julius Bryant is keeper of word and image at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Susan Weber is founder and director of Bard Graduate Center. 

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