The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

The Mausoleum of Akbar at Secundrabad

early 1800s

India, Company School, early 19th century

watercolor on paper
Overall: 45.7 x 60.3 cm (18 x 23 3/4 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Ward in memory of his parents, Lura and Edward Ward 1983.115
Location: Not on view

Description

Before the invention of photography, British travelers in India collected watercolor sketches of monuments and picturesque scenes. This tomb near Agra marks the burial place of one of India’s most illustrious rulers, the Mughal emperor Akbar (1542–1605). In reality it is dominating in scale and ornamented with complex geometric and floral motifs articulated in multicolored stone inlays, relief carvings, and paintings. In this sketch, the site has been rendered in the muted tones that appealed to British taste of the time, and its ornament has been reduced and simplified, giving little indication of its grandeur.
  • ?–1983
    William E. Ward [1922–2004] and Ellen Svec Ward [1921–1989], Solon, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1983–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Indian Gallery 242b Rotation – November 2017-April 2018. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 10, 2017-April 16, 2018).
    The Year in Review for 1983. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 22-April 8, 1984).
  • {{cite web|title=The Mausoleum of Akbar at Secundrabad|url=false|author=|year=early 1800s|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1983.115