Art History 207~~Fall 1998

Study Questions
Week 8


Architecture of the Sayyid, Lodi, and Sur dynasties

1. Think about the tomb of Isa Khan in Delhi: what are the design elements which lighten the otherwise heavy structure? How does the tomb elaborate on the basic octagonal design?

2. What is so important about putting the Isa Khan Tomb into a garden? What is the meaning of the garden in that case?

3. How does Sher Shah Sur's tomb create a more monumental, powerful effect than does the tomb of Isa Khan?

Architecture and gardens of the early Mughal period

1. What major developments貞tructural and ornamental苔ppear in the tomb of Humayun? Although it was designed by a Persian architect and reflects many Persian architectural values, what elements indicate the retention and development of traditional Indian taste?

2. What is a char-bagh garden design? Be able to sketch such a garden and place a tomb within it, as in the case of Humayun's tomb.

3. Identify the following individuals as precisely as possible:

  • a) Mahmud of Ghazni
  • b) Qutb-ud-din Aibak
  • c) Sher Shah Sur
  • d) Babur
  • e) Humayun

Further readings:

Grenard, F. Baber, first of the Moguls. Translated and adapted by Homer White and Richard Glaenzer. New York, R.M. McBride & company, 1930.

The Baburnama: memoirs of Babur, prince and emperor, translated, edited, and annotated by Wheeler M. Thackston. Washington, D.C.: Freer Gallery of Art: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 1996.


Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10



Main Page Study Questions
Monuments List Terminology Class Schedule


Web site created and maintained by Stephanie Struble for Professor Esther Jacobson,
"History of Indian Art" (ArH 207), Fall 1998, Department of Art History, University of Oregon.

Please send any comments or questions to: strubles@aaa.uoregon.edu