page_title: Caspar Purdon Clarke
section_title: South Kensington Museum
hierarchical_section_title: Caspar Purdon Clarke / South Kensington Museum
context_page_description: Sir Caspar Purdon Clarke CIE was an English architect and museum director.
context_section_description: In 1867 he moved to the South Kensington Museum where he oversaw mosaic reproduction. Beginning in 1874, Clarke accepted various foreign assignments as supervising architect to the crown, most notably Tehran. In 1876, Clarke traveled to Turkey, Syria, and Greece and in 1879 to Spain, Italy, and Germany buying artifacts for the Museum.
  In 1878 he acted as architect of the Indian section and commercial agent to the Indian government at the Paris Exhibition. In 1880 Clarke arranged the Indian collections at South Kensington, which led to taking on the position of special commissioner in India and then becoming keeper of the India Museum at South Kensington in 1883. His acquisitions included the Hamzanama folios, early Mughal illustrations of the epic adventures of Hamza by northern Indian and Iranian artists. He also bought contemporary crafts, architectural woodwork and drawings. In 1892 Clarke was appointed Keeper of the art collections, in 1893 promoted to Assistant Director before finally becoming Director in 1896. During his time as Director he also filled the posts of Royal Commissioner at the 1900 Paris Exhibition and at St Louis in 1904. He resigned from the South Kensington Museum (renamed in 1899 as the Victoria and Albert Museum) in 1905.
  Whilst at the South Kensington Museum, he continued to be active as an architect and undertook several commissions in the Indian style. These included Lord Brassey's Indian Museum in Park Lane in 1887 and the Indian Palace at the 1889 Paris Exhibition. In 1899 he was commissioned, in conjunction with architect William Young, to design the Indian hall at Elvedon, Suffolk by Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh (1847-1927). He also later advised Iveagh on the furniture and tapestries for Elvedon.
caption: Sir Caspar Purdon Clarke (1846-1911), by George Burroughs Torrey, oil on canvas, 1907.
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