A Window in Fatehpur Sikri

Maker(s)
Artist: Yoshida Hiroshi 吉田博 (1876-1950)
Historical period(s)
Showa era, 1931
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H x W (image): 37.9 x 24.9 cm (14 15/16 x 9 13/16 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Gift of H. Ed Robison in memory of Katherine W. Robison
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1996.10
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Print
Type

Woodblock print

Keywords
Japan, Showa era (1926 - 1989), WWII-era provenance
Provenance

To 1996
Henry Edwin Robison (1913-2008), Palo Alto, CA, to 1996

From 1996
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, given by Henry Edwin Robison in 1996

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Henry Edwin Robison 1913-2008

Label

Less than forty kilometers from Agra lies Fatehpur Sikri, established by the Mughal Emperor Akbar as a new capital in 1571. The city was occupied only briefly, but the site beautifully preserves the features of Mughal royal architecture.

Rather than describing the exteriors of buildings, Yoshida has chosen here to focus on a carved marble screen of the Tomb of Salim Chishti (completed 1580-81) that brings air and light into a verandah where two men and a boy are seated on the stone floor. Through an elaborate screen, one of several added to the tomb around 1606, can be seen the central court of the mosque that surrounds the tomb. The artist's interest in rendering the effects of light through multiple layers of color printing is exceptionally well expressed in this print, where he minimizes outline in defining the features of the building.

Published References
  • Farhad Daftary, Zulfikar Hirji. The Ismailis: An Illustrated History. London. p. 169.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Whistler's Neighborhood
Google Cultural Institute
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