Artwork

The facade of the tomb of I'timad ad-daula and his wife Asmat Begum, Agra.

The facade of the tomb of I'timad ad-daula and his wife Asmat Begum, Agra. is a drawing by the Romanticist artist Unknown. It dates from 1819 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This early nineteenth‑century drawing records the front elevation of the tomb of I’timad ad‑daula and his wife Asmat Begum in Agra.

About this work

Overview

This early nineteenth‑century drawing records the front elevation of the tomb of I’timad ad‑daula and his wife Asmat Begum in Agra. Executed as part of a series of fifteen illustrations of Mughal monuments, it captures the building’s monumental scale and decorative richness for a British audience.

Subject & Meaning

The composition presents the tomb’s symmetrical façade, marked by four corner towers, a central dome and subsidiary domes, and a series of arched portals. The surface is densely covered with geometric, floral and arabesque motifs rendered in a palette of blues, whites and reds, reflecting the aesthetic principles of Mughal funerary architecture.

Technique & Style

Rendered by artists from Delhi who were working in Calcutta, the drawing combines precise line work with subtle washes of colour to convey depth and texture. Careful hatching defines the relief of the stone surfaces, while delicate shading suggests the play of light across the intricate ornamentation.

History & Provenance

Commissioned between 1816 and 1822 by Colonel Pownell Phipps, the work entered the Phipps family collection and was later bequeathed to the museum by his son, Colonel R.W. Phipps. It remains a valuable documentary record of Agra’s Mughal heritage as seen through early colonial eyes.