The Mausoleum of Akbar at Secundrabad
Unknown Artist
early 1800s
Medium
watercolor on paper
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.457,"width":0.603}}
Classification
Drawing
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Ward in memory of his parents, Lura and Edward Ward
Accession Number
1983.115
About this artwork
Before the invention of photography, British travelers in India collected watercolor sketches of monuments and picturesque scenes. This tomb near Agra marks the burial place of one of India’s most illustrious rulers, the Mughal emperor Akbar (1542–1605). In reality it is dominating in scale and ornamented with complex geometric and floral motifs articulated in multicolored stone inlays, relief carvings, and paintings. In this sketch, the site has been rendered in the muted tones that appealed to...