General View of the arches, Delhi
Photograph
1860s (photographed)
1860s (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This photograph shows the screen of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. Often referred to as the ‘Great Arch’, it is 6.7 metres wide and 16 metres high. An inscription on the central arch states that it was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin Aibak.
It was one of the first Islamic monuments to be built in India by Hindu craftsmen. They laid blocks of stone horizontally and rounded the sides of individual stones to create the curve. The screen was ornately decorated with carved calligraphy and repeating scroll-like designs.
The iron pillar on the right-hand side of the photograph carries a Sanskrit inscription. This records that it was erected by King Chandra, a devotee of the god Vishnu. The king has now been identified as Chandragupta II (AD 375-413) and the pillar is dated to the 4th century.
The English photographer Samuel Bourne took this photograph on his journey through India during the 1860s. In the published account of his journey, he describes his first encounter with Delhi on 25 June 1863. He wrote: ‘Of course Delhi can’t fail to be interesting to the photographer:…noted places must be taken, while…mosques and similar buildings will be photographed for their own merits.’
It was one of the first Islamic monuments to be built in India by Hindu craftsmen. They laid blocks of stone horizontally and rounded the sides of individual stones to create the curve. The screen was ornately decorated with carved calligraphy and repeating scroll-like designs.
The iron pillar on the right-hand side of the photograph carries a Sanskrit inscription. This records that it was erected by King Chandra, a devotee of the god Vishnu. The king has now been identified as Chandragupta II (AD 375-413) and the pillar is dated to the 4th century.
The English photographer Samuel Bourne took this photograph on his journey through India during the 1860s. In the published account of his journey, he describes his first encounter with Delhi on 25 June 1863. He wrote: ‘Of course Delhi can’t fail to be interesting to the photographer:…noted places must be taken, while…mosques and similar buildings will be photographed for their own merits.’
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | General View of the arches, Delhi (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print from wet collodion glass negative |
| Brief description | Photograph of the arches in the Qutb Minar complex, Delhi, India, by Samuel Bourne, 1860s. |
| Physical description | This photograph shows the screen of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The screen is often referred to as the ‘Great Arch’. An inscription on the central arch states that it was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin Aibak. The central arch is 6.7 meters wide and 16 meters high and is an ogee or s-shaped corbelled arch. In the right hand side of the photograph is an iron pillar beside which two Indian men are made to stand to give a sense of scale. A sanskrit inscription on the pillar records that it was erected by King Chandra, a devotee of god Vishnu. The king has now been identified as Chandragupta II (AD 375-413). The pillar is dated to the 4th century and was bought to this spot from elsewhere. It is 7.2 meters in height (93cm below ground) and is made of pure iron. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Signature and negative number in bottom right hand side. |
| Object history | The photograph was initially part of the photographic collection held in the National Art Library. The markings on the mount are an indication of the history of the object, its movement through the museum and the way in which it is categorised. The mount is white and has evidence of handwritten text across the top: IIbd. On the right hand side there is a label with: A.in. Delhi Bottom left: Label from Bourne catalogue, with 'Delhi' handwritten next to it. |
| Historical context | Bourne took this photograph on his journey through India during the 1860s. In the published account of his journey, on his first encounter with Delhi on June 25th 1863 he wrote: ‘Of course Delhi can’t fail to be interesting to the photographer: the Cashmere Gate, the fort, and other noted places must be taken, while its mosques and similar buildings will be photographed for their own merits. About eleven miles from Delhi is the famous Kootub, of which many of my readers have seen Beato’s large photograph, published by Hering, of Regent Street.’ Bourne, S, Photography in the East, The British Journal of Photography, September 1 1863, pg 345. |
| Production | Bourne visited Delhi in 1863, as mentioned in his writings. He is also likely to have made subsequent visits in 1864 and 1866 though this is not recorded in his writings. This print would have been made before March 1867. |
| Places depicted | |
| Summary | This photograph shows the screen of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. Often referred to as the ‘Great Arch’, it is 6.7 metres wide and 16 metres high. An inscription on the central arch states that it was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin Aibak. It was one of the first Islamic monuments to be built in India by Hindu craftsmen. They laid blocks of stone horizontally and rounded the sides of individual stones to create the curve. The screen was ornately decorated with carved calligraphy and repeating scroll-like designs. The iron pillar on the right-hand side of the photograph carries a Sanskrit inscription. This records that it was erected by King Chandra, a devotee of the god Vishnu. The king has now been identified as Chandragupta II (AD 375-413) and the pillar is dated to the 4th century. The English photographer Samuel Bourne took this photograph on his journey through India during the 1860s. In the published account of his journey, he describes his first encounter with Delhi on 25 June 1863. He wrote: ‘Of course Delhi can’t fail to be interesting to the photographer:…noted places must be taken, while…mosques and similar buildings will be photographed for their own merits.’ |
| Bibliographic reference | Bourne, S, Photography in the East, The British Journal of Photography, September 1 1863, pg 345. |
| Other number | 1377 - Negative number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 53222 |
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| Record created | December 20, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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