Not currently on display at the V&A

Gateway to the Taj Mahal

Painting
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.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleGateway 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
  • Height: 47.5cm
  • Width: 70.5cm
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 createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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