Architectural Panel
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Muslim architects have long embellished their structures with floral patterns, in part because they evoke the garden paradise described in the Qur’an. When Muslim patrons, the Mughals, began to build in India, they found that the most talented local craftsmen were stone carvers, so they had floral motifs created in sandstone. The Mughal emperors were amateur horticulturists whose interests are reflected in the great degree of naturalism found in the floral carvings that decorated their buildings. In these architectural examples, flowers are depicted from several angles, much as they would be in a horticultural illustration.
Caption
Architectural Panel, 17th century. Red Sandstone, Object with wall mount: 57 3/4 × 37 1/2 × 2 1/2 in. (146.7 × 95.3 × 6.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Georgia and Michael de Havenon, 2013.101.1. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Collection
Collection
Frequent Art Questions
Can you tell me more about the medium?
This is an Indian object made from carved sandstone, and the design is very reflective of the Mughal period. The Mughal rulers practiced Islam. Here you can see the design is evocative of the garden paradise in the Qur'an.A bit more context is that the Mughal emperors were amateur horticulturists whose interests are reflected in the great degree of naturalism found in the floral carvings that decorated their buildings. In these architectural examples, flowers are depicted from several angles, much as they would be in a horticultural illustration.Are there any other objects you are curious about or have more questions about this one?In the Mughal piece do you know what kind of flowers are depicted?Hm, we don't seem to have any information on those. We've asked the curator and she does not have a definitive answer for this yet.
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