Not currently on display at the V&A

Screen

ca. 1640 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Agra (made)

This pierced marble screen was made within the Mughal empire and may be dated to the reign of Shah Jahan (r. 1628-58). Its design and the carving of the flowers are both closely similar to a screen still in place in the Taj Mahal, built for Shah Jahan's wife Mumtaz Mahal after her death in 1631. The tomb was completed in 1643.
The screen was part of the collections of the Indian Museum in London and transferred to the South Kensington Museum in 1879.


Object details

Categories
Interiors
SCRAN
India Museum
Object type
Screen
Materials and techniques
Marble, carved and pierced
Brief description
Pierced marble, Mughal, c. 1640
Physical description
Screen of carved and pierced white marble.
Dimensions
  • Height: 58.5cm (Note: WEIGHT: 28 Kg)
  • Width: 76.5cm
Style
Mughal
Object history
Acquired by the Indian Museum. The design is closely similar to a screen still in situ in the Taj Mahal, in the central tomb chamber (see George Michell, The Majesty of Mughal Decoration. The Art and Architecture of Islamic India, Thames & Hudson, 2007, p. 174)
Subject depicted
Flowers
Summary
This pierced marble screen was made within the Mughal empire and may be dated to the reign of Shah Jahan (r. 1628-58). Its design and the carving of the flowers are both closely similar to a screen still in place in the Taj Mahal, built for Shah Jahan's wife Mumtaz Mahal after her death in 1631. The tomb was completed in 1643.
The screen was part of the collections of the Indian Museum in London and transferred to the South Kensington Museum in 1879.
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.64
  • Stronge, S. Made for Mughal Emperors. Royal Treasures from Hindustan. London and New York, 2010 p. 62, pl. 40
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
07071(IS)

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Record createdJanuary 31, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O73674/screen-unknown/
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