album;
painting
- Museum number
- 1945,1013,0.9.5
- Description
-
Watercolour painting, sparsely coloured on paper, of the marble screen that surrounds the cenotaphs of Shah Jahan and Arjumand Banu Begum in the Taj Mahal. The painting shows one side of the octagonal screen which surrounds the two cenotaphs. In the painting, one cenotaph, that of Arjumand Banu Begum, is visible through the open arch in the screen. The screen consists of panels of marble lattice work which are surrounded by rectangular panels of white marble with pietra dura inlay. The design of the pietra dura, which uses precious and semi precious stones to create the patterns, are repeating floral patterns outlined by black and red lines. The top of the screen is decorated with marble finials, also decorated with pietra dura designs. The back of the opposite side of the screen is also visible through the open arch along with the lattice screens which cover the windows of the mausoleum. 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
- 1945,1013,0.9.5
