Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
This diptych presents the façade of a Mughal palace combined with that of a caravanserai. Fish swim in the palace pool, trees on the second level provide shade for the ladies of the harem while domes typify the architectural preference in royal architecture. The turrets are oversized chessmen referencing games of chess purported to have been played with human pawns by the Mughal emperor Akbar. Perhaps this is Shemza’s vision of Fatehpur Sikri, the famed red sandstone city built by Akbar and abandoned less than 20 years after completion.