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Examination of Mughal stone inlay work on the mausoleum of I’timad-ud-Daulah, Agra, India

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Abstract

The stone inlay work on a Mughal mausoleum at Agra in India, dating to the early seventeenth century, was investigated to shed light on its character and composition. Fragments of the different coloured stones used for the inlay were examined by binocular stereoscope and optical polarized light microscopy, and microchemical analysis conducted by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. Two of the five coloured stone varieties present are characterized as bioclastic limestones, while one each is a dolomitic limestone and marble. The last variety is a black coloured stone for which a phyllite and a carbonaceous limestone are shown to have been interchangeably employed. The provenance and decay processes that affect the individual stone types are discussed, and new information on their textural and material composition is brought to notice.

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adapted from Uwe Dedering: File:India relief location map.jpg derivative work: User:Milei.vencel, CC BY)

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for according the necessary permissions for this study, and to the Science Branch of the ASI at Agra for assisting in the analyses. Ruth Siddall is much thanked for providing kind comments on examining the mounted samples. The World Monuments Fund (WMF) is gratefully acknowledged for providing financial support to make this work possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Art Conservation Solutions, Noida, India

    M. S. Gill

  2. Science Branch, Archaeological Survey of India, Northern Zone, Agra, India

    M. K. Bhatnagar

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  1. M. S. Gill
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  2. M. K. Bhatnagar
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Correspondence to M. S. Gill.

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Gill, M.S., Bhatnagar, M.K. Examination of Mughal stone inlay work on the mausoleum of I’timad-ud-Daulah, Agra, India. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 13, 221 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-021-01454-6

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