A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c19.s3.10

c19.s3.10

‘The two oblong sides and the top are adorned with the ninety-nine titles of the Creator in alto-rilievo, set in delicate Arabic tracery (Plates XI and XV of *Akbar’s Tomb*). The words *Allāhu Akbar jalla jalālahu* are inscribed on the head and foot, set in panels surrounded by most beautiful and delicate floral ornamentation (*ibid.*, Pl. XVI, XVII; *ante*, Pl. XCIX, Fig. C). The carving, which is most exquisitely done, is in very low relief, and savours of Chinese workmanship. Amongst other flowers and plants portrayed one recognizes the lily, the almond, and the dahlia, all of which are found carved or painted upon Akbar’s palace at Fathpur-Sīkrī. In the left-hand corner of each of the panels, cloud-forms carved after a most distinctive Chinese type are noticeable. Similar cloud-forms are met with upon the dado panels in the Turkish Sultānah’s house at Fathpur-Sīkrī, and it is generally supposed that they were executed by Chinese workmen.’