Gateway to the Taj Mahal
Painting
ca.1820 (drawn)
ca.1820 (drawn)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
‘Company paintings' were produced by Indian artists for Europeans living and working in the Indian subcontinent, especially British employees of the East India Company.
This painting depicts the gateway to the Taj Mahal, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to commemorate his deceased wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal ('Elect of the Palace'), who died in 1631, shortly after giving birth to their fourteenth child. Work was begun in 1632, and the mausoleum was completed in 1643. The gateway to the Taj Mahal is made of red brick with pietra dura inlay.
This painting depicts the gateway to the Taj Mahal, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to commemorate his deceased wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal ('Elect of the Palace'), who died in 1631, shortly after giving birth to their fourteenth child. Work was begun in 1632, and the mausoleum was completed in 1643. The gateway to the Taj Mahal is made of red brick with pietra dura inlay.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Gateway to the Taj Mahal (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Watercolour on paper |
Brief description | Painting, architectural: Gateway to the Taj Mahal, watercolour on paper, Agra, c.1820 |
Physical description | The elevation of the entrance gateway to the garden court of the Taj Mahal, Agra. |
Dimensions |
|
Style | |
Marks and inscriptions | 'Taje Gate, Entrance to Taje Garden' (Inscribed on back:) |
Gallery label | The mausoleum’s imposing gateway, with its red sandstone façade and white marble decoration, prepares the visitor for the grandeur of the monument within. The gateway opens on to
a garden and pathway leading to the main structure. Stylistically, these architectural paintings were probably influenced by the drawings of European engineers.(July 2017) |
Subjects depicted | |
Places depicted | |
Summary | ‘Company paintings' were produced by Indian artists for Europeans living and working in the Indian subcontinent, especially British employees of the East India Company. This painting depicts the gateway to the Taj Mahal, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to commemorate his deceased wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal ('Elect of the Palace'), who died in 1631, shortly after giving birth to their fourteenth child. Work was begun in 1632, and the mausoleum was completed in 1643. The gateway to the Taj Mahal is made of red brick with pietra dura inlay. |
Bibliographic reference | Archer, Mildred. Company Paintings Indian Paintings of the British period
Victoria and Albert Museum Indian Series London: Victoria and Albert Museum, Maplin Publishing, 1992 136 p. ISBN 0944142303 |
Other number | 4202 - Previous number |
Collection | |
Accession number | AL.4202 |
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Record created | December 15, 1999 |
Record URL |
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