album;
painting
- Museum number
- 1945,1013,0.9.20
- Description
-
Watercolour painting, sparsely coloured on paper, of the side panel of Shah Jahan’s cenotaph in the Taj Mahal. The panel has three flowering plants, one of which appears to be a poppy, created using inlaid precious and semi-precious stones. The plants are outlines by a foliage border which is also surrounded by a border of interconnected vines and flowers. The painting is framed by a thick black line.
- Production date
- 19thC(early)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 21.70 centimetres
-
Width: 29 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- This painting comes from an album of watercolour paintings and pen and ink drawings of North Indian architectural subjects (1945,1013,0.9.1-33). These include the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and Sikandra. Albums such as this were commonly made during the early 19th century, typically for European visitors in India. Comparable albums are in the collections of the British Library and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The Taj Mahal was built between 1631 and 1643 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r.1628-58) as a mausoleum for his wife Arjumand Banu Begum, also known by the title Mumtaz Mahal.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1945
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- 1945,1013,0.9.20
