A View of the Courtyard of the Jamah Masjid in Delhi, By Charles Ramus Forrest (fl. 1802 - 1827), circa 1808-09

Collection of Dr. William K. Ehrenfeld, San Francisco.

Acquired directly from the Ehrenfeld collection by the current owner, 15th July 1998.

Interaction of Cultures: Indian and Western Painting, 1780 - 1910, The Ehrenfeld Collection, Alexandria,

1998, cat. no. 57.

The mosque and courtyard commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1644 blends red

sandstone and white marble.

Charles Ramus Forrest was best known for his watercolor paintings "made on the spot" for his series "A Picturesque Tour along the river Ganges and Jumna in India", which contains 24 fine hand-colored aquatint engraved plates made by G. Hunt and T. Sutherland after original watercolors by Forrest.

The following observations were made by William Francklin on his visit to Delhi in 1798: "The terrace

on which the mosque is situated is a square of about fourteen hundred yards of red stone. In the center

is a fountain lined with marble, for the purpose of performing the necessary ablutions previous to

prayer. An arched colonnade of red stone surrounds the whole of the terrace which is adorned with

octagonal pavilions for sitting in".