Architectural Panel

17th century

Muslim architects have long embellished their structures with floral patterns, in part because they evoke the garden paradise described in the Qur’an. When Muslim patrons, the Mughals, began to build in India, they found that the most talented local craftsmen were stone carvers, so they had floral motifs created in sandstone. The Mughal emperors were amateur horticulturists whose interests are reflected in the great degree of naturalism found in the floral carvings that decorated their buildings. In these architectural examples, flowers are depicted from several angles, much as they would be in a horticultural illustration.