The south end of Shah Jahan's cenotaph, India, Company School, Agra, circa 1820

gouache on European paper

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inscriptions

Inscribed in the lower margin:

'Elevation of the Tomb of Shah Jahan, One View of the Original in One Third of the Original in size, no. 7.'

Epitaph in nasta'liq script:

marqad-e motahhar-e a'la-hazrat-e ferdous-ashyani sahebqeran-e thani shahjahan taba tharahu sana 1076

'The pure grave of His Most Exalted Majesty, Dweller in Paradise, Second Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction, Shah Jahan, Padshah, may its soil be fragrant! Year 1076 [1666 AD]'

This painting, in the Company Style adopted by Indian artists, depicts the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s cenotaph, located inside the Taj Mahal, the magnificent tomb which Shah Jahan built in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The artist has chosen to portray a specific angle of this marvellously crafted monument, with the viewer looking up at the cenotaph, and glimpsing its sides receding away into the distance. The artist has emphasized the intricately decorated, delicate architectural beauty of the white memorial with its renowned pietra dura inlays with precious and semi-precious stones by setting it against a dramatic black background.