Architectural panel in red sandstone, carved and incised, with traces of polychromy. - Mughal Empire (1526-1857)

Red sandstone Mughal architectural panel with a lotus flower, Rajasthan, India, first half of the eighteenth century.

Red sandstone carved and incised architectural panel, attributable to the northern Indian Mughal sphere, presumably Rajput in origin, and dateable to the first half of the eighteenth century. The decoration, organized according to a strict geometric scheme, is dominated in the center by an open lotus flower, enclosed within a rhombus and inscribed in a square frame; at the four corners appear partial floral motifs, also related to the lotus, which complete the composition with elegant balance. The carving, clear and deep, alternates smooth surfaces, minute parallel incisions and relief transitions capable of giving rhythm and vibration to the stone, in line with an ornamental language typical of Mughal architecture and its regional declensions. The lotus, a very ancient Indian emblem of purity, regeneration and manifestation of the divine, assumes in this context a transversal valence: deeply rooted in Hindu religious culture, it is embraced and reinterpreted also in the Islamic decorative repertoire of Mughal India, where the natural form is subjected to a geometric and symbolic arrangement. The panel was originally intended to be inserted into a larger wall covering, as a modular element of a wall, a base, or an interior architectural decoration. The traces of mortar are visible along the margins and on the back, while on the front are remnants of polychromy, particularly evident in the light and greenish tones, which testifies how the surface was originally more richly colored. The abrasions, gaps and concretions preserved do not compromise the legibility of the ornament, but restore to the artifact the strong identity quality of Mughal Indian architecture.