Table Top
c. 1860-1870 (made)
This table top was acquired by the East India Company civil servant William Tayler and bought with the rest of his collection by the South Kensington Museum in 1874. It was made by craftsmen in Agra, a renowned centre for the inlaying of marble with semi-precious stones from the reign of Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). Tayler's information on the piece specifies that the design is 'Lady Canning's pattern', referring to Charlotte Canning, the wife of Charles Canning, Governor-General of India from 1856 to 1862 and, after the uprisings of 1857, Viceroy. Lady Canning was an accomplished painter, photographer and botanist, but this design is clearly inspired by Mughal inlaid marble architectural elements in the imperial monuments of Agra and Delhi built for Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). The highly skilled craftsmen of Agra made small portable artefacts to sell to the many tourists who came to see the the Taj Mahal, and at this period also made table tops and chess boards with Mughal-inspired inlaid decoration in semi-precious stones. Tayler visited Agra in 1865, two years before leaving India, and may have bought the table top while there.
Object details
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Marble |
| Brief description | Furniture, white marble, inlaid with coloured semi-precious stones, Agra, India, c. 1860-70 |
| Physical description | Table top, white marble, square, inlaid with a border of flowers and leaves in coloured stones, known as "Lady Canning's pattern" Agra, India |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | From the collection of William Tayler. Tayler was educated in England at Charterhouse and also spent a term at Christ Church, Oxford. He entered service with the East India Company on 30th April 1829, arriving in India in October of the same year. He held various posts in Bengal and was appointed Commissioner of Patna in 1855. During his service, he was able to acquire many objects, including hardstones, relating to the customs and religions of India as well as objects from other parts of South Asia. He was criticised for his handling of the uprisings in Northern India and was moved to a lesser post before being suspended, ultimately resigning on 29th March 1859. He then practised as an advocate in the law courts of Bengal before returning to England in 1867. He wrote a book about his experiences, entitled Thirty-eight Years in India, in which he states that "After my return to England, circumstances induced me, though with great reluctance, to part with the collection which is now in the South Kensington Museum". The collection was purchased by the museum in 1874 and 1875. |
| Summary | This table top was acquired by the East India Company civil servant William Tayler and bought with the rest of his collection by the South Kensington Museum in 1874. It was made by craftsmen in Agra, a renowned centre for the inlaying of marble with semi-precious stones from the reign of Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). Tayler's information on the piece specifies that the design is 'Lady Canning's pattern', referring to Charlotte Canning, the wife of Charles Canning, Governor-General of India from 1856 to 1862 and, after the uprisings of 1857, Viceroy. Lady Canning was an accomplished painter, photographer and botanist, but this design is clearly inspired by Mughal inlaid marble architectural elements in the imperial monuments of Agra and Delhi built for Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). The highly skilled craftsmen of Agra made small portable artefacts to sell to the many tourists who came to see the the Taj Mahal, and at this period also made table tops and chess boards with Mughal-inspired inlaid decoration in semi-precious stones. Tayler visited Agra in 1865, two years before leaving India, and may have bought the table top while there. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1104-1874 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
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