Lot 54
A MUGHAL RED SANDSTONE OPENWORK JALI SCREEN
INDIA, AGRA, 18TH CENTURY
Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000
Auction: 11 December 2024 from 10:00 GMT
Description
of rectangular form, finely carved and pierced on both sides with a central and stylised vase from which issues a spray of exotic leaves, flanked by further half vases and leaves, trefoil designs at the feet of the vases, mounted on stand
Dimensions
58.5cm x 39cm x 3cm
Footnote
The design exhibits a strong European influence in both style and motif with sinuous "S" shaped scrolls, vases and urns. The European influence on the designs of Mughal India was first transmitted through European paintings and prints which were avidly collected by the Mughal court. The carved and pierced jalis that surmount the railings enclosing the cenotaphs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal at the Taj Mahal are decorated with comparable urns spaced by robust, scrolling leafy swags. (Koch, pp. 32-33, pl. 2, and Nou and Okada, 1993, pp. 58-59, 64, 65, 66-67). Rococo "S" scrolls executed as pietra dura inlay can also be seen on the balconies of the roof of the Taj Mahal (ibid., pp. 138-139, 141, 145 ). Both these examples demonstrate the European influence clearly seen on this fine jali.
