Mughal monuments

In the late 18th century as the Mughal empire went into decline, British presence and power expanded, ultimately overthrowing both the Mughal and the Rajput rulers of India. The English East India Company established their own provincial townships and new migrants arrived, including a number of artists. The English interest in the picturesque, including views of the Indian countryside, architectural monuments and their ruins were popular subjects of English artists working in India and Indian artists painting for British clients.

The gate of Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar's (1542 –1605) tomb, (bottom right of this group), was a popular subject. The tomb was depicted in William Hodges’ 1787 engraving, Thomas Daniell’s hand coloured aquatint c. 1800, and Indian watercolours, painted in what is termed ‘Company Style’, developed to meet the needs of a British clientele, many of whom were employees of the East India Company. In 1905, George Curzon the Viceroy of India, made extensive repairs to the tomb including the completion of the four minarets, that as seen here ascend into the sky without their finials. It remains uncertain as to whether the minarets were not completed at the time of construction or where instead damaged during a raid by a Jat army in 1691.