Lot Essay
See the note for lot 49.
This view shows the principal gateway into the tomb complex, on the south side of the garden; the Taj Mahal itself is visible behind, rising amongst the trees. The vast courtyard in the foreground was probably used in Mughal times to accommodate visitors.
'The gate is of red sandstone and white marble, elegantly ornamented. The spandrels over the arches are decorated with foliage of various coloured inlaid stones'.
'Through this portal you enter the gardens, and here bursts at once upon the view, in all its unrivalled grandeur, an edifice perhaps altogether unparalleled among the works of human ingenuity' (Oriental Scenery, 1834, p.95).
This view shows the principal gateway into the tomb complex, on the south side of the garden; the Taj Mahal itself is visible behind, rising amongst the trees. The vast courtyard in the foreground was probably used in Mughal times to accommodate visitors.
'The gate is of red sandstone and white marble, elegantly ornamented. The spandrels over the arches are decorated with foliage of various coloured inlaid stones'.
'Through this portal you enter the gardens, and here bursts at once upon the view, in all its unrivalled grandeur, an edifice perhaps altogether unparalleled among the works of human ingenuity' (Oriental Scenery, 1834, p.95).