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2. THE BULAND DARWAZA (LOFTY GATE) AT FATEHPUR SIKRI India (Agra) circa 1820 Height: 43.5 cm Width: 57.1 cm |
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Opaque watercolour on paper with pencil, pen and grey ink, heightened with white and framed by a black lined border. The paper is watermarked, “W. Turner & Son”. Fatehpur Sikri (The City of Victory), the chief architectural monument of the Mughal emperor Akbar (reigned 1556-1605), was the capital city of the Mughal empire before it was abandoned in the 1580s in favour of Agra, perhaps due to the problem of water shortages. Built around 1571, primarily of red sandstone, it displays the syncretistic style of early Mughal, that is Akbari, architecture which synthesizes features from earlier Timurid, Persian and Indian indigenous styles.(1) Though Akbar moved the imperial Mughal court to Agra to better administer his growing empire, Fatehpur Sikri continued to be an important stop for traders and was often inhabited by large crowds of merchants from India, Persia and much further afield, which enriched the empire through commerce. The Buland Darwaza, or Lofty Gate, is considered the greatest of all Mughal gateways, particularly because of its immense size, standing at an overall height of 53.6 metres. The triumphal gateway marks the south entrance to Akbar’s great Badshahi Masjid (Jami Masjid or Imperial Mosque). Construction began in 1575 and it was completed in 1601. The monument mixes red and buff-coloured sandstone, with selective marble surfaces on the facade primarily for the carving of inscriptions. The composition of the gateway incorporates stepped tiers bearing chattris (domed kiosks) and powerful trefoil crenels. The gateway is approached by a magnificent, steeply ascending and theatrically dramatic flight of stairs as depicted in this watercolour. The stairs, which fan outwards in a bold heightening of the drama, draw the viewer powerfully towards the lofty portal. On approaching the top of the forty-two steps the visitor, having ascended a daunting incline of 45 metres, is met by the vast iwan surrounded by the celebrated calligraphic pantheistic inscriptions which frame the grand entrance.(2) It is here that the visitor understands the true meaning of the monument, for it was built primarily to commemorate Akbar’s subjection of Gujarat in 1573. As Christopher Tadgell observes, it was meant to be seen rather than used.(3) Akbar’s Mughal empire was a crucible of religious diversity. His syncretic approach to religion allowed for the incorporation of various faiths into the imperial culture and governance. In parallel and in tandem with the syncretistic architecture of Fatehpur Sikri, in 1582 Akbar propounded his new syncretic religion, the Din-i Ilahi. The wide-ranging inscriptions on the façade of the Buland Darwaza express this religious diversity and also the depth of Akbar’s spiritual knowledge. John Seyller has observed that the inscriptions on the Buland Darwaza also strengthened connections to the Chishti religious order.(4) Qur’anic verses covering some marble surfaces of its facade were laid out by the calligrapher Ahmad al-Chishti, a follower of the Sufi saint Shaykh Salim Chishti; the verses memorably proclaim the words of Jesus (Isa) son of Mary (Maryam) describing the world as only ephemeral and likening it to a bridge to be crossed over by those seeking eternal afterlife.(5) Verses from the Qur’an carved in naskh were prepared by Khwaja Hussain Chishti another follower of the Shaykh Salim Chishti, while Ahmad al- Chishti’s inscriptions from the Surah Az-Zumar are carved in thuluth, with the calligrapher’s name mentioned right at the beginning. Provenance: The Collection of H. J. Allcroft at Stokesay Court, Ludlow, Shropshire Herbert Allcroft was the grandson of Jeremiah Allcroft who went into partnership with the glove-makers, Messrs J & W Dent & Co. Their success allowed Herbert to travel the world in some style. His trips were at the peak of the British Empire towards the end of the nineteenth century, and with a youthful exuberance he collected an eclectic mixture of works of art as well as tourist mementos from his trips which blended into the interiors at Stokesay Court upon his return. Stokesay Court was the memorable setting for the 2007 Joe Wright film Atonement based on the novel by Ian McEwan and starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. Sotheby’s, London, Stokesay Court, 28th September 1994, lot 689 Spink and Son, London, 28th September 1994, bought slip no. 4500, stock no. IS.2.937/B Private Swiss Collection, purchased from Spink and Son on 14th October 1996, invoice no. ISL 7702 Private French Collection Francesca Galloway, March 2024 Exhibited: Spink and Son Ltd, A Journey Through India: Company School Pictures, Wednesday, 9th October to Friday 1st November 1996, pp. 28 and 29, cat. no. 11. References: 1. Ebba Koch, Mughal Architecture: An Outline of its History and Development (1526-1858), 1991, p. 43. 2. Christopher Tadgell, The History of Architecture in India: From the Dawn of Civilization to the End of the Taj, 1990, p. 246. 3. Ibid. 4. John Seyller, Indian Painting: Intimacy and Formality, 2024, p. 35. 5. Ibid. Literature: J. C. Harle, 1986, The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent, 1986. |