Topi Wallah 2
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
A male head is shown in profile wearing a traditional Muslim prayer cap. This is a symbol of devotion and spirituality as well as the primary element within the painting which emphasises the simplicity and beauty of the composition.
Particularly important to Ali Kazim’s work is the depth he achieves through using watercolour pigments and a wash technique. A layer of paint is applied over an initial drawing, the paper is then placed in a shallow dish of water allowing some of the paint to lift off after which another layer of paint is added, and so the process continues until a deep, rich, textured colour remains. The painting is finished off with the finer details being applied by hand with the smallest of hand-made brushes. The prayer hat has been embossed into the paper using a carved wooden block.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- IS.57-2006
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
![Gelek Rimpoche from Lhasa and Ann Arbor unwrapping Tibetan text & beginning to chant it, Tokden Rinpoche, handling brass Vajia (Diamond Lightning Bolt) and Ghanta (Bell) Sonam, former chanting. master of Gyuto Tantric College idling behind them at picnic table outside lodge shrine-room after lunch, "just fooling around rather than having a ceremony." Sonam came in from Chicago, Tokden from Eastern Tibet to give oral Transmissions of one-volume short-form _Prajnaparamita_ [Highest perfect wisdom] _Sutra_ to Gelek's hundred students. "Gate Gate Para Gate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha!" Over annual summer retreat, Yankee Springs State Park, Michigan, August 27, 1993., Allen Ginsberg, 1993, printed 1995](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/b1ae88f0-bb0c-4b98-bd7f-3d50148b518e/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
