Agra. Diwan-i-Chas (1890): Art, History and Details

Agra. Diwan-i-Chas (1890) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Photoglob Co. (Zurich, active c. 1890–1910).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This Hall of Private Audiences was built by Shah Jahan, who commissioned the Taj Mahal. There, he and the succeeding Mughal emperors met with courtiers and important guests. Several men in European dress exit the hall, while men in native garb labor in the lush gardens. The tiny figures emphasize the building’s grand scale.

Object facts

• Title: Agra. Diwan-i-Chas
• Date: 1890
• Creator attribution: Photoglob Co. (Zurich, active c. 1890–1910)
• Culture: India, 19th century
• Type: Photograph
• Technique: Photochrom
• Dimensions: Image: 20.3 x 26.5 cm (8 x 10 7/16 in.); Paper: 20.3 x 26.5 cm (8 x 10 7/16 in.)
• Collection: PH - Misc. 19th Century
• Department: Photography
• Accession number: 2018.214

A detail from the museum

The rosy sky was an imaginative addition by the printers, as this print is based on a black-and-white photograph.

Collection credit

Purchase from the Karl B. Goldfield Trust

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.