Where can I see Agra. The Motee Hasjid in Pearl Mosque. View of the Entire Aisle?

Agra. The Motee Hasjid in Pearl Mosque. View of the Entire Aisle is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Agra. The Motee Hasjid in Pearl Mosque. View of the Entire Aisle?

Agra. The Motee Hasjid in Pearl Mosque. View of the Entire Aisle is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Agra. The Motee Hasjid in Pearl Mosque. View of the Entire Aisle

Agra. The Motee Hasjid in Pearl Mosque. View of the Entire Aisle is a photography by the Impressionist artist Samuel Bourne. It dates from 1866 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 2024.5.42
Credit line: Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund

About this work

Overview

This black‑and‑white photograph captures the interior of the Pearl Mosque’s main aisle in Agra, showing a vaulted passageway lined with white marble flooring and intricately carved walls. Sunlight filters through a series of open doorways, illuminating the space and highlighting the delicate architectural details. The image dates from the 1860s, predating later conservation work on the structure.

Subject & Meaning

The picture documents the mosque’s central hall, a key element of Mughal religious architecture that combines functional space with ornamental refinement. The interplay of light and shadow emphasizes the harmony between structural form and decorative carving, reflecting the aesthetic principles of the period.

Technique & Style

Taken with a wet‑plate collodion process common in the mid‑nineteenth century, the photograph exhibits a high level of detail and tonal range. The long exposure required for interior lighting captures the marble’s cool surface and the fine relief work on the walls without modern enhancement.

History & Provenance

Part of a series of fifty images produced in the 1860s, the photograph was created during a survey of major Indian sites that traveled from Himalayan hill towns to urban centers such as Lahore, Delhi, Lucknow, Agra, Benares, and Calcutta. The collection serves as an early visual record of the Pearl Mosque before any twentieth‑century restoration interventions.

Context

The Pearl Mosque, an imperial Mughal edifice in Agra, was among several monuments photographed to document their original condition. Such images provide scholars with baseline data for comparing later architectural changes and for understanding the visual impact of subsequent restoration campaigns.