Not currently on display at the V&A

Two of the trellised Marble Screens in the tomb of Sheik Selim Chisti, Futtehpore Sikri

Photograph
ca. 1865 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This photograph shows one of the marble screens lining the sides of the tomb of Shaykh Salim Chishti. It is in Fatehpur Sikri, a city in Agra, north-west India, built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar (1556-1605). Salim Chisti was a Muslim Sufi saint who accurately predicted the birth of Akbar's son. His tomb has some of the finest examples of marble work in India. The intricately carved screens (‘jalis’) are the work of skilled Gujarati craftsmen.

The British photographer Samuel Bourne lived and worked in India between 1862 and 1869. During this time he toured the Himalayas and travelled through the subcontinent, photographing its landscape, architecture and historical sites. He set up a studio in Simla with Charles Shepherd and sold his prints sold to an eager public both in India and Britain.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleTwo of the trellised Marble Screens in the tomb of Sheik Selim Chisti, Futtehpore Sikri (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Albumen print from a wet collodion glass negative
Brief description
Photograph of Fatehpur Sikri, India by Samuel Bourne, 1860s.
Physical description
This photograph shows a close-up of two of the marble screens lining the sides of the tomb of Salim Chisti at Fatehpur Sikri.
Dimensions
  • Photograph length: 28.4cm
  • Photograph height: 23.5cm
  • Mount length: 33cm
  • Mount height: 26.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
Signature and negative number in bottom right hand side.
Object history
This 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 it is categorised.
The mount is green and has a label on the right hand side with the title.

Historical significance: This photograph shows a close-up of one of the marble screens lining the four sides of the tomb of Shaikh Salim Chisti.

The tomb has some of the finest examples of marble work in India. The intricately carved marble screens or jalis which line each of the four sides and the elegant corbels, the curves of which are also filled with have fine jali work, are the work of skilled Gujarati craftsmen. The style of the tomb is influenced by Indo-Islamic architectural traditions of the mosques of Sidi Sayyid and Shah Alam in Ahmedabad.
Place depicted
Summary
This photograph shows one of the marble screens lining the sides of the tomb of Shaykh Salim Chishti. It is in Fatehpur Sikri, a city in Agra, north-west India, built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar (1556-1605). Salim Chisti was a Muslim Sufi saint who accurately predicted the birth of Akbar's son. His tomb has some of the finest examples of marble work in India. The intricately carved screens (‘jalis’) are the work of skilled Gujarati craftsmen.

The British photographer Samuel Bourne lived and worked in India between 1862 and 1869. During this time he toured the Himalayas and travelled through the subcontinent, photographing its landscape, architecture and historical sites. He set up a studio in Simla with Charles Shepherd and sold his prints sold to an eager public both in India and Britain.
Bibliographic references
  • Asher, C, B, Architecture of Mughal India, The New Cambridhe History of India, , CUP, 1992
  • Rizve, S.A & Flynn, V.N, Fathpur Sikri, 1975
  • Archaeological Survey of India, Fatehpur Sikri, New Delhi, 2002
  • Alfieri, B.M, Islamic Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent, London 2000,
Other number
1266 - Negative number
Collection
Accession number
53263

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Record createdJanuary 9, 2006
Record URL
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