{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O108889"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O108889/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AC7526/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AC7526/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AC7526","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O108889/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O108889","accessionNumber":"80109","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"Interior of the Hindoo Temple in Kootub","type":"assigned by artist"},{"title":"Part of the Qutb Minar Complex, Delhi, India.","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Felice Beato was a British photographer of Italian origin. He travelled through India after the so-called ‘mutiny’ or uprising of the Indian army against their British officers in 1857. Beato took photographs of sites associated with the uprsing, as well as more general photographs of the most important monuments of the cities he visited, as in this example.\r\n\r\nThis photograph shows a colonnade of pillars that make up the north side of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, south of Delhi. Built between 1193 and 1199, this is the earliest extant mosque in India. It was built on the site of the captured Rajput citadel of Qila Rai Pithora as a symbol of victory by Qutbuddin Aibak (d. 1210), the military commander of the Afghan Ghurid dynasty who defeated the last Hindu ruler of Delhi and sought to establish Islam in this newly acquired territory. The mosque consists of a simple rectangle enclosing a central quadrangle measuring 43.2 by 33 metres. Three sides of the mosque have pillared colonnades built using the remains of 27 demolished Hindu and Jain temples, a fact recorded on the main eastern entrance to the mosque. The Hindu and Jain iconography on the pillars is clearly visible, showing lotus flowers, scrolling foliage and <i>kalasa</i> or vessels overflowing with flowering creepers – a Brahmanical motif signifying abundance and overflowing prosperity.","physicalDescription":"This photograph shows a colonnade of pillars which make up the north side of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. This is the earliest extant mosque in India. The mosque was built by Qutbuddin Aibak as a symbol of victory on the site of the captured Rajput citadel of Qila Rai Pithora. The mosque consists of a simple rectangle, enclosing a central quadrangle court measuring 43.2 x 33m internally. Three sides of the mosque have pillared colonnades built using the remains of 27 demolished Hindu and Jain temples, a fact recorded on the main eastern entrance to the mosque. \r\n\r\nAs can be seen in the photograph, the north side of the colonnade is two pillars deep (the east side being three pillars deep). The decoration on the Hindu/Jain iconography on the pillars is clearly visible showing lotus flowers, scrolling foliage and kalasa vessels overflowing with flowery creepers, this being a Brahmanical motif signifying abundance and overflowing prosperity.\r\n\r\nComparing this photograph with one taken two years later by Samuel Bourne (number 53,220) we can see that the broken pillars at the end of the colonnade are still there.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Beato, Felice","id":"A6896"},"association":{"text":"photographer","id":"AAT25687"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[{"text":"Wet collodion process","id":"AAT133299"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Albumen print from wet collodion glass negative","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"Architecture","id":"THES48993"},{"text":"Islam","id":"THES48932"},{"text":"Hinduism","id":"THES48941"},{"text":"Religion","id":"THES48900"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2006AC7526"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"003","id":"THES403839"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"photograph","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Delhi","id":"x29851"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1858-1860","earliest":"1858-01-01","latest":"1860-12-31"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"28.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"photograph","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"24.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"photograph","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"32.9","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"mount","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"26.7","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"mount","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"The photograph was initially part of the photographic collection held in the National Art Library. The markings on the mount are an indication of the history of the object, its movement through the museum and the way in which it is categorised. \r\nThe mount is green with the label on the top right hand corner with the title.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Photograph of a colonnade of pillars of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, Qutb Minar complex, Delhi, India, by Felice Beato, 1858-1860.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Masselos, J & Gupta, N. Beato's Delhi 1857, 1997, Delhi, 2000."}],"production":"Beato was in India from January 1858 to February 1860. It is not clear when he was in Delhi during this period.","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"India","id":"x29790"},{"text":"Delhi","id":"x29851"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[{"text":"Jainism","id":"AAT143540"}],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["80109"],"accessionNumberNum":"80109","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":null,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Negative number","id":"THES50273"},"number":"D?"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-16","recordCreationDate":"2005-01-31","availableToBook":true}}