The Kutb Minar with the great arch, from the West, Delhi
Photograph
1866 (photographed)
1866 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This photograph shows the back view of the screen or ‘Great Arch’ of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The other side has ornate decoration and an inscription stating that it was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin Aibak. The central arch is 6.7 metres wide and 16 metres high.
On the right-hand side is the Qutb Minar, the tower from which the daily call to prayer is made. It is the highest stone tower in India and tapers from a base diameter of 14.32 metres to 2.75 metres at the top. It too was begun in 1199. Only the first storey was built during the lifetime of Qutbuddin Aibak. The next two storeys were built by his successor, Shamsuddin Iltutmish, who also built what was the fourth and final storey. When this was destroyed by lightning, Firoz Shah Tughlug (1351-1388) added the two storeys seen here. The difference in their size and style suggests that they must have a replaced a single, better-proportioned one.
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.
On the right-hand side is the Qutb Minar, the tower from which the daily call to prayer is made. It is the highest stone tower in India and tapers from a base diameter of 14.32 metres to 2.75 metres at the top. It too was begun in 1199. Only the first storey was built during the lifetime of Qutbuddin Aibak. The next two storeys were built by his successor, Shamsuddin Iltutmish, who also built what was the fourth and final storey. When this was destroyed by lightning, Firoz Shah Tughlug (1351-1388) added the two storeys seen here. The difference in their size and style suggests that they must have a replaced a single, better-proportioned one.
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 | |
| Title | The Kutb Minar with the great arch, from the West, Delhi (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print from wet collodion glass negative |
| Brief description | Photograph of the Qutb Minar, Delhi, India, by Samuel Bourne, 1860s. |
| Physical description | This photograph shows the back view of the screen of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The screen is often referred to as the ‘Great Arch’. The other side of the screen is ornately decorated and has an inscription on the central arch states that it was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin Aibak. The central arch is 6.7 meters wide and 16 meters high and is an ogee or s-shaped corbelled arch. See photograph no 53,221 for a front view of the arch. To the right hand side is the Qutb Minar. The minar is part of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque and was built by Qutbuddin Aibak. Inscriptions around the minar outline the history of the tower and state that the building of the tower was started in 1199. It was designed as a place from which to call people to prayer and as a symbol of victory. On the bottom right hand side of the photograph and near the centre arch are some Indian men, they give a sense of scale to the architecture. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Signature and negative number in bottom left hand side. |
| Object history | The 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 in which it is categorised. The mount is white and has a label with: A.in. Delh On the bottom left: Label from Bourne catalogue, with 'Delhi' handwritten next to it. On the back is there is a handwritten note that gives the Bourne catalogue no and says 'borrowed 29/4/70' |
| Historical context | This photograph shows the back view of the screen of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The screen is often referred to as the ‘Great Arch’. The other side of the screen is ornately decorated and has an inscription on the central arch states that it was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin Aibak. The central arch is 6.7 meters wide and 16 meters high and is an ogee or s-shaped corbelled arch. To the right hand side is the Qutb Minar. The minar is part of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque and was built by Qutbuddin Aibak. Inscriptions around the minar outline the history of the tower and state that the building of the tower was started in 1199. Only the first storey was built during the lifetime of Qutbuddin Aibak. The next two storeys were built by his successor, Shamsuddin Iltutmish. Iltutmish also built the fourth and it is believed final storey but when this was destroyed by lightning, Firoz Shah Tughlug (1351-88) added the two storeys as can be seen here. The difference in size and style of these two suggest that they must have a replaced a single better proportioned storey. The minar is covered with red and buff standstone and marble and is the highest stone tower in India. The diameter of the base is 14.32m and 2.75m at the top. |
| Production | Bourne visited Delhi in 1863, as mentioned in his writings. He is also likely to have made subsequent visits in 1864 and 1866 though this is not recorded in his writings. This print would have been made before March 1867. |
| Places depicted | |
| Summary | This photograph shows the back view of the screen or ‘Great Arch’ of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The other side has ornate decoration and an inscription stating that it was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin Aibak. The central arch is 6.7 metres wide and 16 metres high. On the right-hand side is the Qutb Minar, the tower from which the daily call to prayer is made. It is the highest stone tower in India and tapers from a base diameter of 14.32 metres to 2.75 metres at the top. It too was begun in 1199. Only the first storey was built during the lifetime of Qutbuddin Aibak. The next two storeys were built by his successor, Shamsuddin Iltutmish, who also built what was the fourth and final storey. When this was destroyed by lightning, Firoz Shah Tughlug (1351-1388) added the two storeys seen here. The difference in their size and style suggests that they must have a replaced a single, better-proportioned one. 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 reference | Bourne, S, Photography in the East, The British Journal of Photography, September 1 1863, pg 345. |
| Other number | 1370 - Negative number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 53214 |
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| Record created | December 21, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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