Agra School, circa 1815

Details
Agra School, circa 1815
The Tomb of the Emperor; and The Tomb of the Begum
both inscribed as title; pencil, pen and black ink and watercolour, both within a black lined border, one with watermark Ruse and Turners 1813 and the other J Whatman 1815
21 x 26¾in. (534 x 680mm.) (2)
Provenance
The Marquis of Bute

Lot Essay

Shah Jahan died in 1666 and was buried next to his favourite wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, known as Mumtaz Mahal for whom the Taj was built. His cenotaph was inserted beside hers and they were oriented north to south in compliance with Islamic practice. Her cenotaph is in the centre with his on the west side of the enclosure to her right. This asymetry strong evidence to suggest that Shah Jahan never intended to be buried there.
The other watercolour entitled Tomb of the Begum depicts the cenotaph of Banu Begum which was very similar to that of the Shah Jahan

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