He had previously created the gardens and palaces of Shalimar in honor of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
(craftsmanship is best seen in enlarged version -- click image to see enlargement)
One question that isn't really dealt with in the article at the moment is the influence the Taj may have had on western architecture. Its fame travelled quickly after its construction completed in the late 1600's and by the early 1800's the British were effectively in control - the traditional conception of the Taj as a 'monument to love' presumably had some resonance with the romantic movement, but other than the Royal Pavilion (I assume), I wonder what buildings in Europe might trace a significant influence from the Taj.
I'd not heard of the proposal to demolish the Taj Mahal: Northumberland House was pulled down for its materials in 1866-74. Your point about the style-designation "Moorish" concealing design vocabulary that was in fact Indian strikes the right note: Frederick Church's Olana, despite its Victorian picturesque massing.
There's a really interesting chapter in Ebba Koch's book "The complete Taj Mahal" called Everybody's Taj Mahal - Francois Bernier was there in 1659 and wrote about it - the 18th century, things become a little quiet, Josef Tieffenthaler, one of the last jesuits of the Mughal mission visited sometime after 1743, wrote an account. The British east india company got to agra in 1785 and from 1786-1798 Major William Palmers, when in agra would stay in the garden towers of the Taj. Apparently the first artist to arrive from europe was James Forbes (artist) in 1781 swiftly followed by Johan Zoffany in 1786. The first overall views of the Taj were made by William Hodges (1783)and Thomas Daniell and William Daniell who came in search of 'the sublime, picturesque and exotic'.
New Delhi definitely - synthesis of Indian, including Mughal architecture and neo-classicism.
There are others; in Mumbai: Gateway of India - a bit half-hearted, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus - Moghul-romanesque; nothing much in Calcutta. See Indo-Saracenic , the other thing they called the style. Lutyens certainly. Here is fun, but more stuff built by maharajahs etc.
He had previously created the gardens and palaces of Shalimar in honor of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
(craftsmanship is best seen in enlarged version -- click image to see enlargement)
One question that isn't really dealt with in the article at the moment is the influence the Taj may have had on western architecture. Its fame travelled quickly after its construction completed in the late 1600's and by the early 1800's the British were effectively in control - the traditional conception of the Taj as a 'monument to love' presumably had some resonance with the romantic movement, but other than the Royal Pavilion (I assume), I wonder what buildings in Europe might trace a significant influence from the Taj.
I'd not heard of the proposal to demolish the Taj Mahal: Northumberland House was pulled down for its materials in 1866-74. Your point about the style-designation "Moorish" concealing design vocabulary that was in fact Indian strikes the right note: Frederick Church's Olana, despite its Victorian picturesque massing.
There's a really interesting chapter in Ebba Koch's book "The complete Taj Mahal" called Everybody's Taj Mahal - Francois Bernier was there in 1659 and wrote about it - the 18th century, things become a little quiet, Josef Tieffenthaler, one of the last jesuits of the Mughal mission visited sometime after 1743, wrote an account. The British east india company got to agra in 1785 and from 1786-1798 Major William Palmers, when in agra would stay in the garden towers of the Taj. Apparently the first artist to arrive from europe was James Forbes (artist) in 1781 swiftly followed by Johan Zoffany in 1786. The first overall views of the Taj were made by William Hodges (1783)and Thomas Daniell and William Daniell who came in search of 'the sublime, picturesque and exotic'.
New Delhi definitely - synthesis of Indian, including Mughal architecture and neo-classicism.
There are others; in Mumbai: Gateway of India - a bit half-hearted, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus - Moghul-romanesque; nothing much in Calcutta. See Indo-Saracenic , the other thing they called the style. Lutyens certainly. Here is fun, but more stuff built by maharajahs etc.