The Tomb of Akber, Secundra

1866

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century Palace

Dominant colour

The Tomb of Akber, Secundra is a 1866 by Louis-Théophile Marie Rousselet, a Impressionism work, depicting Palace, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Louis-Théophile Marie Rousselet
When & what style?: 1866 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a quiet courtyard at dusk, the white marble tomb glowing faintly under a pale sky. Rousselet drew this while traveling in India, but he wasn’t happy with his sketches. So he learned photography on the spot and re-created the scene in print. The soft light and sharp shadows feel almost like a photograph. If you like how light plays across stone, look up *chiaroscuro*.

The story of this work

Overview

Concerned that his drawings did not do justice to the splendor of India’s monuments, Rousselet learned photography in India that year, a remarkable accomplishment. He proved to be a talented photographer with a sophisticated sense of composition. The scenes in this volume sweep across sites of Sultanate, Rajput, and Mughal power in northern India, from the sacred Hindu city of Varanasi on the Ganges River to Alwar in Rajasthan. Also included are several scenes of industry and portraits of Indian rulers.