album;
drawing
- Museum number
- 1945,1013,0.9.24
- Description
-
Pen and ink drawing, highlighted with watercolour paint on paper of Shah Jahan’s cenotaph in the Taj Mahal. The painting shows the white marble cenotaph raised up on a plinth decorated with repeating floral designs. The cenotaph is formed of seven white marble tiers, each decorated with a different floral pattern which is repeated along the tier. The floral designs were created using the pietra dura technique of inlaying precious and semi-precious stones into the marble to create each design. The floor below the cenotaph’s plinth is also laid out in a geometric pattern of white and black marble. The drawing 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
- 1945,1013,0.9.24
