The Arches and Iron Pillar near the Kutub Minar
Photograph
mid 19th century (made)
mid 19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Photograph of the Arches and Iron Pillar near the Kutub Minar. This fourth-century pillar, framed by an early-thirteenth-century arch, has been a curiousity to scientists as it appears never to rust. The arches are amongst the first example of the pointed arch in Indian archtecture, and similarly Beato may have been amongst the first to photograph this perspective of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, located near the Qutb Minar.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Arches and Iron Pillar near the Kutub Minar (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen photographic print |
| Brief description | Photograph by Felice Beato of the Arches and Iron Pillar near the Kutub Minar, after the Indian Mutiny, Delhi, India, about 1858 |
| Physical description | Photograph of the Arches and Iron Pillar near the Kutub Minar. This fourth-century pillar, framed by an early-thirteenth-century arch, has been a curiousity to scientists as it appears never to rust. The arches are amongst the first example of the pointed arch in Indian archtecture, and similarly Beato may have been amongst the first to photograph this perspective of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, located near the Qutb Minar. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | Beato had a particular interest in photographing military campaigns. The rich diversity of his work in India developed after his arrival in February 1858, where he photographed the aftermath of the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and devastation in Delhi, Cawnpore and Lucknow, famous for its massacre of Europeans by the Indian army. Beato's war photographs of India range from portraits of commanding officers to vast Indian landscapes and derelict forts and palaces. |
| Historical context | There is little conclusive evidence about the life of the 19th century photographer Felice A. Beato, who was born in Venice between 1825 and 1830, but became a naturalised British subject. Beato is most recognised as a war photographer where his travel from Europe provided the opportunity to record military war in India after the Mutiny of 1857, the opium wars in China in 1860 and Japan in 1862. Beato later died in Burma, ca 1908-1909. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Bibliographic reference | Masselos, Jim and Gupta, Narayani (2000) Beato's Delhi, 1857, 1997, Ravi Dayal, Delhi. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | PH.2073-1905 |
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| Record created | May 19, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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