A panoramic scroll with a view of the Red Fort at Agra, seen from the far side of the Yamuna river, India, circa 1800

Christie's, London, 4 April 2006, lot 201

This large-scale topographical view of the Red Fort at Agra, also known as the Agra Fort or the Lal Qila, illustrates the monument in its entirety. It provides an impressive, river-facing view of the fort.

The history of the Agra Fort predates the Mughal Empire. The fort originally belonged to the Lodhi dynasty before it was captured by Babur, the first Mughal Emperor. Babur took the fort during his four-year reign (1526-30). His successor and son Humayun was crowned there in 1530. However, it was not until Akbar’s reign (1556-1605) that Agra became the capital of the Empire, at which time he rebuilt the fort in red sandstone, completing construction in 1573. During the reign of Shah Jahan, many of the fort’s beautiful marble palaces were built when the Emperor remodelled the three main courtyards, finally finishing this process in 1637. Ironically it was there in the Shah Burj that Shah Jahan was to spend the last eight years of his life held captive by his son Aurangzeb.

The only extant structure from the period of Akbar’s reign is the Jahangiri Mahal, visible on the far left of the drawing in the south-east corner, a housing structure for lesser female members of royalty. Various buildings visible in the drawing on the left-hand side include the Khass Mahal of Shah Jahan, which is flanked by two Bengali-roofed pavilions, comprising the main zenana area. The aforementioned Shah Burj, or Royal Tower, is visible and clad in white marble. Situated behind the projecting tower is the Emperor’s private quarters and the Diwan-i Khass (Hall of Private Audience) opening onto the river, with the Hammam (baths) adjacent to the open terrace demarcated with its high tower (no longer in place). Also visible are the distant Delhi Gate, and the Moti Masjid or Pearl Mosque, which was completed in 1654. All the structures visible above the wall north of the mosque were constructed in the eighteenth century. Notably, the Great Gun of Agra, a monumental achievement of military technology of its time, can be found at the end of the panorama. Comparing the current work with similar drawings of the time reveals a considerable amount of architectural alterations undertaken since the seventeenth century.

The city of Agra was captured from the Marathas by the British in 1803, who greatly admired the Mughal buildings of Agra, Sikandra and Fatehpur Sikri. Several views of Mughal monuments were prepared by Agra artists for British patrons in the first half of the nineteenth century, reflecting the tastes of the time. It is very likely that the present illustration was also produced by an Indian artist trained in the Western manner.

A closely comparable view is in the British Library (Ms. Add. Or.929), see Pal 1989, pp.78-79, no.69. It was formerly in the collection of George Steele, who served in the Bengal Engineers and was posted to Agra from 1807 to 1813. The illustration, on watermarked paper dating 1803, and was completed circa 1808. Another similar view dated to circa 1820, also in the collection of the British Library, is illustrated in Welch 1978, no.49, pp.112-3.

For comparable views of the Agra Fort sold or offered at auction, see Christie’s South Kensington, 10 June 2013; Sotheby’s, London, 8 October 2014, lot 329; 24 October 2018, lot 104; 10 June 2020, lot 149, and Christie’s, New York, 20 March 2024, lot 560 . The present view is the largest of these aforementioned examples.