Futtypore Sikri—Two of the Marbled Screens in the Tomb of Sheik Selim Chisti (1866): Art, History and Details

Futtypore Sikri—Two of the Marbled Screens in the Tomb of Sheik Selim Chisti (1866) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Samuel Bourne (British, 1834–1912).

The work and its context

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

These elaborate screens decorate the mausoleum of the Sufi saint Salim Chisti (1478-1572). The building, considered one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture in India, was built in 1580-1581 by the Emperor Akbar to honor the saint, whose prayers he believed had guaranteed the birth of male heirs to the throne.

Object facts

• Title: Futtypore Sikri—Two of the Marbled Screens in the Tomb of Sheik Selim Chisti
• Date: 1866
• Creator attribution: Samuel Bourne (British, 1834–1912)
• Culture: India
• Type: Photograph
• Technique: albumen print
• Dimensions: Paper: 23.9 x 29.4 cm (9 7/16 x 11 9/16 in.)
• Collection: PH - British 19th Century
• Department: Photography
• Accession number: 2024.79

A detail from the museum

Carved marble screens provided not just decoration but also light and air to interiors, while keeping out sun glare and prying eyes.

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

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.