Photograph of the Great Arch at the Qutb Minar complex, Delhi, India, by Felice Beato, 1858-1860.

This photograph shows the central arch of the screen of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The screen is often referred to as the ‘Great Arch’. An inscription on this central arch states that it was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin Aibak. It measures 6.7 meters in width, 16 meters in height and is an ogee or s-shaped corbelled arch. A European man (possibly the photographer) poses with three Indian men beneath the arch to give a sense of scale.

In the foreground, in the centre of the photograph, is an iron pillar. 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.

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 green with a label across the top right hand corner with the title.

This photograph shows the central arch of the screen of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The screen is often referred to as the ‘Great Arch’. An inscription on this central arch states that it was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin Aibak. It measures 6.7 meters in width, 16 meters in height and is an ogee or s-shaped corbelled arch. A European man (possibly the photographer) poses with three Indian men beneath the arch to give a sense of scale.

This was one of the first Islamic monuments to be built by Hindu craftsmen in India and at this stage the craftsmen were still learning how to build a true arch using voussoirs (wedge shaped blocks of stone). Instead, and in keeping with their known methods, they laid blocks of stone horizontally and rounded the sides of individual stones to create the curve of the arch. The screen was ornately decorated with carved calligraphy and repeating scroll-like designs. Some of the calligraphic strokes have small floral bursts at the ends, this being a quirky addition by the Hindu artisans unused to calligraphic forms.

In a drawing by the architectural historian, James Fergusson, dated to between 1835-42, the top of the great arch is damaged and this, as Fergusson claims was probably due to the uncertainty involved in the method of building. This photograph taken in the 1860s shows that the arch had subsequently been repaired.

In the foreground, in the centre of the photograph, is an iron pillar. 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.

The photographer, Felice Beato travelled thorough India after the ‘Mutiny or 1857 uprising’ of the Indian army and took photographs of the sites associated with it. He also took more general photographs of the most important monuments of the cities he visited, this being one of them.

Beato was in India from January 1858 to February 1860. It is not clear when he was in Delhi during this period.

Felice Beato was a British photographer of Italian origin. He travelled through India after the so-called ‘mutiny’ or uprising of the Indian army against their British officers in 1857. Beato took photographs of sites associated with the uprising, as well as more general photographs of the most important monuments of the cities he visited, as in this example.

This photograph shows the central arch of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, south of Delhi. This is often referred to as the ‘Great Arch’ and an inscription on it states that it was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin Aibak (d.1210), the military commander of the Afghan Ghurid dynasty who defeated the last Hindu ruler of Delhi and sought to establish Islam in this newly acquired territory. The mosque was built on the site of the captured Rajput citadel of Qila Rai Pithora as a symbol of victory and is the earliest extant mosque in India. The ‘Great Arch’ measures 6.7 metres in width and 16 metres in height.

In the foreground in the centre of the photograph is an iron pillar. A Sanskrit inscription on the pillar records that it was erected by King Chandra, a devotee of the god Vishnu. The king has now been identified as Chandragupta II (375–413), ruler of the Gupta empire in northern India. The pillar is dated to the 4th century and was brought to this spot from elsewhere. It is 7.2 metres high (of which 93 centimetres are below ground), and is made of pure iron.

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