Mahmud Gawan Madrasa, Bidar
1890
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Raja Deen Dayal
Raja Lala Deen Dayal, famously known as Raja Deen Dayal) was an Indian photographer.
See the richer artist page1890
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Mahmud Gawan Madrasa, Bidar is a 1890 by Raja Deen Dayal, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This photo shows a tall, ornate tower rising behind a group of people in traditional Indian clothes. Some stand, some sit, all facing the camera. Raja Deen Dayal was one of the first Indian photographers to shoot architecture this carefully. The people weren’t just passing by—they were told to pose, which makes the scene feel intentional, not accidental. Most foreign photographers at the time didn’t do that. Look up more photos of India to see how other artists framed its landmarks.
The architectural decoration on the tower echoes patterns on Bidri ware (see CMA 2020.206 ), ornamented metallic vessels cast from condensed vapors of zinc in a technique native to that city. This image is notable for the precision and poetry with which the people are posed. Most gaze at the camera, probably instructed to do so by Deen Dayal; this is rarely the case in images by foreign photographers.
Built in 1472 as an Islamic theological college, in 1656 gunpowder stored in it ignited and gutted the building.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Raja Lala Deen Dayal, famously known as Raja Deen Dayal) was an Indian photographer.
See the richer artist page
