Architecture
1st half 17th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The colonnade made of serpentine marble probably came from a pavilion commissioned by the Mughal emperor Jahangir during his extended stay at Ajmer in Rajasthan, where he visited the shrine of the Sufi saint Mu'in al-Din Chishti and lived for three years between 1613 and 1616. During this time various structures were restored, and new ones built. The colonnade was bought for the South Kensington Museum by Caspar Purdon Clarke during his purchasing expedition for the museum in 1881-1882..
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Serpentine stone |
| Brief description | Colonnade, serpentine marble, Mughal, ca. 1615-1620, Ajmer, Rajasthan. |
| Physical description | The colonnade comes from a royal pavilion at Ajmer and may date from the reign of Jahangir. The style reflects the eclecticism of Mughal art as the capitals of the columns derive from Near Eastern prototypes whilst the brackets with lotus buds stem from Hindu tradition. There are four twelve sided columns and four half columns each with brackets, capitals and ornamental brackets in front arranged to form a colonnade of three openings. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label | Colonnade, serpentine marble, Mughal, first half of the 17th century.(2001) |
| Object history | Acquired by Caspar Purdon Clarke on his purchasing expedition for the South Kensington Museum, 1881-1882. |
| Production | Probably from a pavilion of Jahangir, Ajmer |
| Summary | The colonnade made of serpentine marble probably came from a pavilion commissioned by the Mughal emperor Jahangir during his extended stay at Ajmer in Rajasthan, where he visited the shrine of the Sufi saint Mu'in al-Din Chishti and lived for three years between 1613 and 1616. During this time various structures were restored, and new ones built. The colonnade was bought for the South Kensington Museum by Caspar Purdon Clarke during his purchasing expedition for the museum in 1881-1882.. |
| Bibliographic reference | Skelton, Robert, et al, The Indian Heritage. Court life and Arts under Mughal Rule London: The Victoria and Albert Museum, 1982
p.26, no.3
cf Catherine B. Asher, Architecture of Mughal India, The New Cambridge History of India, pp. 118-122 for Jahangir's architecture at Ajmer |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.3394-1883 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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