Harvard Art Museums > 1984.627: Pierced Window Screen (Jali) Architectural Elements Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Pierced Window Screen (Jali) , 1984.627,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Nov 20, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/216213. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Gallery Text Pierced screens have been used in a variety of ways in South Asian architecture: as windows, railings, or room dividers. Although elaborate window dressings in stone and wood have long been components of indigenous Indian architecture, the intricately carved geometric patterning of the type seen here was introduced in the Islamic courts. This jali is made of a single slab of sandstone that was carefully drilled through to create a design of interlocking, four-pointed stars intersected by flowers. Light passing through the screen would cast its intricate pattern on the floor, creating a playful effect of light and shadow. Identification and Creation Object Number 1984.627 Title Pierced Window Screen (Jali) Classification Architectural Elements Work Type architectural element Date c. 1580 Places Creation Place: South Asia, India, Uttar Pradesh Period Mughal period Culture Indian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/216213 Location Location Level 2, Room 2590, South Asian Art, South Asia in the Medieval and Early Modern Eras View this object's location on our interactive map Physical Descriptions Medium Red sandstone Technique Carved Dimensions sight: 87 × 62 × 3.5 cm (34 1/4 × 24 7/16 × 1 3/8 in.) 52 lb. Provenance Recorded Ownership History [Spink & Son Ltd., London (by 1984)], sold; to Fogg Art Museum, 1984. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Director's Discretionary Fund and the Fund for the Acquisition of Islamic and Indian Art Accession Year 1984 Object Number 1984.627 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Pierced screens have been used in a variety of ways in South Asian architecture: as windows, railings, or room dividers. Although elaborate window dressings in stone and wood have long been components of indigenous Indian architecture, the intricately carved geometric patterning of the type seen here was introduced in the Islamic courts. This jali is made of a single slab of sandstone that was carefully drilled through to create a design of interlocking, four-pointed stars intersected by flowers. Light passing through the screen would cast its intricate pattern on the floor, creating a playful effect of light and shadow. Exhibition History Recent Acquisitions , Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/15/1986 - 01/04/1987 Islamic Art: The Power of Pattern, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 09/23/1989 - 01/17/1990 Arabesque, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/01/1990 - 03/24/1991 Five Masters of Persian and Indian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/11/1992 - 03/09/1992 An Imperial Vision. The Art of Mughal India, 1526-1658, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/17/1992 - 12/06/1992 Arts of Empire: Mughal India, 1526-1705, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/17/1992 - 12/13/1992 Pattern and Purpose. Decorative Arts of Islam., Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 02/19/1994 - 07/03/1994 Linear Graces ... and Disgraces: Part I, Drawings from the Courts of Persia, Turkey, and India, 15th-19th Centuries, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/15/1994 - 12/11/1994 Linear Graces ... and Disgraces: Part II, Drawings from the Courts of Persia, Turkey, and India, 15th-19th Centuries, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/26/1994 - 03/05/1995 Where Traditions Meet: Painting in India from the 15th-17th Centuries, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/05/2003 - 12/07/2003 32Q: 2590 South and Southeast Asia, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 04/17/2019; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/28/2023 - 01/01/2050 Zarina: Atlas of Her World , Pulitzer Arts Foundation, St. Louis, 09/06/2019 - 02/02/2020 Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
