- 329
A panorama of the fort at Agra from the River Jumna, Company School, circa 1810-15
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Gouache with gold on paper
gouache heightened with gold on paper, watermarked 'S. Wise and Patch', dated 1808, comprising 5 joined sheets
Condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
The Agra fort originally belonged to the Lodhi dynasty before it was captured by Babur, the first Mughal Emperor, who took the fort during his four year reign (1526-30). His successor and son Humayun was crowned there after Babur’s death, but not until Akbar’s reign (1556-1605) did Agra become the capital of the Empire, at which time he rebuilt the fort in red sandstone, finishing construction in 1573. During the reign of Shah Jahan, many of the fort’s beautiful white palaces were built when the emperor remodelled the three main courtyards of the palace, finally finishing this process in 1637. Ironically it was there in the Shah Burj that Shah Jahan was to spend the last eight years of his life held captive by his son Aurangzeb.
The only extant structure from the period of Akbar’s reign is the Jahangiri Mahal, visible on the far left of the drawing in the south-east corner, a housing structure for lesser female members of royalty. Various buildings visible in the drawing on the left hand side include the Khass Mahal of Shah Jahan, which is flanked by two Bengali-roofed pavilions, comprising the main zenana area. The aforementioned Shah Burj, or Royal Tower, is visible and clad in white marble. Situated behind the projecting tower is the Emperor’s private quarters and the Diwan-i Khass (Hall of Private Audience) opening onto the river, with the hammam (baths) adjacent to the open terrace demarcated with its high tower (no longer in place). Also visible are the distant Delhi Gate, and the Moti or Pearl Mosque, which was completed in 1654. All of the structures visible above the wall north of the mosque are of eighteenth-century construction. Notably, the Great Gun of Agra, a monumental achievement of military technology of its time, can be found at the end of the panorama. Comparing the current work with similar drawings of the time reveals a considerable amount of architectural alterations undertaken since the seventeenth century.
Also evident is that many of the open facades abutting the river were filled in during the Company’s Officers garrison in the palace after 1803. As Florentia Sale states: “There has been much beautiful stucco work in relievo in the cloisters and apartments in the square [of the Divan-I ‘Am], but under the Jhauts [Jats] and Mahrattas the depredations were very great… officers were permitted to reside in the Fort [where] they constantly built up walls of mud for the purpose of turning part of the palace into private dwelling houses.”
In describing the state of the Divan-i Khass: “The barbaric taste for comfort of an Englishman residing in the fort induced him to break through one of the compartments in the room in order to make an English chimney and another to form a window. It has been lately repaired as nearly as it could to restore it to its former state.”
Regarding the principal room in the Shah Burj: “A small octangular room possessing a fine view both up and down the river - Momtaza’s apartment communicated by a staircase with the Emperor - it has a circular roof and has been adorned with exquisite carving in red stone …white washed while occupied as a sleeping apartment by [Colonel Taylor’s wife].” For a similar view in the British Library (Ms. Add. Or.929), see P. Pal, Romance of the Taj Mahal, Los Angeles, pp.78-79, no.69.
The only extant structure from the period of Akbar’s reign is the Jahangiri Mahal, visible on the far left of the drawing in the south-east corner, a housing structure for lesser female members of royalty. Various buildings visible in the drawing on the left hand side include the Khass Mahal of Shah Jahan, which is flanked by two Bengali-roofed pavilions, comprising the main zenana area. The aforementioned Shah Burj, or Royal Tower, is visible and clad in white marble. Situated behind the projecting tower is the Emperor’s private quarters and the Diwan-i Khass (Hall of Private Audience) opening onto the river, with the hammam (baths) adjacent to the open terrace demarcated with its high tower (no longer in place). Also visible are the distant Delhi Gate, and the Moti or Pearl Mosque, which was completed in 1654. All of the structures visible above the wall north of the mosque are of eighteenth-century construction. Notably, the Great Gun of Agra, a monumental achievement of military technology of its time, can be found at the end of the panorama. Comparing the current work with similar drawings of the time reveals a considerable amount of architectural alterations undertaken since the seventeenth century.
Also evident is that many of the open facades abutting the river were filled in during the Company’s Officers garrison in the palace after 1803. As Florentia Sale states: “There has been much beautiful stucco work in relievo in the cloisters and apartments in the square [of the Divan-I ‘Am], but under the Jhauts [Jats] and Mahrattas the depredations were very great… officers were permitted to reside in the Fort [where] they constantly built up walls of mud for the purpose of turning part of the palace into private dwelling houses.”
In describing the state of the Divan-i Khass: “The barbaric taste for comfort of an Englishman residing in the fort induced him to break through one of the compartments in the room in order to make an English chimney and another to form a window. It has been lately repaired as nearly as it could to restore it to its former state.”
Regarding the principal room in the Shah Burj: “A small octangular room possessing a fine view both up and down the river - Momtaza’s apartment communicated by a staircase with the Emperor - it has a circular roof and has been adorned with exquisite carving in red stone …white washed while occupied as a sleeping apartment by [Colonel Taylor’s wife].” For a similar view in the British Library (Ms. Add. Or.929), see P. Pal, Romance of the Taj Mahal, Los Angeles, pp.78-79, no.69.