Frieze Panel thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Frieze Panel

ca. 1640 (made)
Place of origin

This white marble panel was probably made in Agra in about 1640. It is inlaid with coloured stones in the technique known as pietra dura, introduced from Italy to the Mughal empire during the reign of Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) and reinterpreted by Indian craftsmen. The technique is found on many of the most important monuments of the reign of his son, Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658), notably the Taj Mahal at Agra. The stonemasons here inlaid white marble from the Makrana mines in Rajasthan with a range of semi-precious stones, including nephrite jade from Kashgar and Khotan, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, and stones such as carnelian, heliotrope and agate from various regions in the Indian subcontinent. The use of strapwork in the ornament on this panel indicates the subtle influence that European design could have on Mughal art. It was bought by the South Kensington Museum in 1855.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
White marble, inlaid with carnelian, yellow and black marble and serpentine
Brief description
Horizontal panel of white marble inlaid with carnelian and other hardstones, Agra, c. 1640
Physical description
This white marble panel is inlaid in the pietra dura technique.
Dimensions
  • Height: 742mm
  • Width: 830mm
  • Depth: 45mm (Note: with frame)
  • Weight: 27kg
Style
Subject depicted
Summary
This white marble panel was probably made in Agra in about 1640. It is inlaid with coloured stones in the technique known as pietra dura, introduced from Italy to the Mughal empire during the reign of Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) and reinterpreted by Indian craftsmen. The technique is found on many of the most important monuments of the reign of his son, Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658), notably the Taj Mahal at Agra. The stonemasons here inlaid white marble from the Makrana mines in Rajasthan with a range of semi-precious stones, including nephrite jade from Kashgar and Khotan, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, and stones such as carnelian, heliotrope and agate from various regions in the Indian subcontinent. The use of strapwork in the ornament on this panel indicates the subtle influence that European design could have on Mughal art. It was bought by the South Kensington Museum in 1855.
Bibliographic references
  • Guy, John and Swallow, Deborah (eds.) Arts of India: 1550-1900. Text by Rosemary Crill, John Guy, Veronica Murphy, Susan Stronge and Deborah Swallow. London : Victoria and Albert Museum, 1990, reprinted 1999. 240 p. : ill. ISBN: 1851770224. p.86, pl.62 Pratapaditya Pal, Janice Leoshko, Joseph M. Dye, III, Stephen Markel. Romance of the Taj Mahal, Time Books International, New Delhi, 1989, fig. 133, p. 132
  • Swallow, D., Stronge, S., Crill, R., Koezuka, T., editor and translator, "The Art of the Indian Courts. Miniature Painting and Decorative Arts", Victoria & Albert Museum and NHK Kinki Media Plan, 1993. p. 73, cat. no. 57
  • Skelton, Robert, et al, The Indian Heritage. Court life and Arts under Mughal Rule London: The Victoria and Albert Museum, 1982 p.26, no.4aq
Collection
Accession number
1534-1855

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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