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Darpan Singh, Agra

It’s a classic case of honour abroad, disgrace at home. The world renowned Indian and India-related art collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art (VMFA) has acquired a rare painting of the Moti Musjid made by the renowned American painter of the 19th century, Edwin Lord Weeks. While the VMFA has recognised the mosque’s brilliance, its condition in the Agra Fort continues to worsen by the day.

The acquisition, made a few days ago, is an oil-on-canvas — done in academic style, but with lots of light in it, with colours that might have been borrowed from an Impressionist palette. The lustrous painting, ‘The Hour of Prayer at Moti Musjid (The Pearl Mosque), Agra, dates from about 1888-89 and is nearly 10 feet wide by almost 7 feet tall. Weeks was awarded a Gold Medal at the 1889 Paris Salon for the work.

Weeks is understood to have made the portrait during his stay at Agra. This was his second of the three visits to India. He was highly impressed by the Indian way of living during his both visits. Weeks (1849-1903) was born in Boston and trained in Paris and was an inveterate traveller. The painting has proved to be a major attraction for art lovers visiting the museum from different parts of the globe. The rare painting has been termed ‘almost a perfect picture, complete in religious sentiment and poetical inspiration.’

Edwin Lord Weeks is one of the most celebrated of the American Orientalists. In 1883, he travelled to India and he was to return again in 1892. He spent two years in India before returning home to Paris. Confirming the acquisition, an ASI official told HT, “His paintings of Indian life gave him fame both in France and America and they became his specialty. More than two dozens of his paintings displayed at the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in Venice depict the days of British Raj in India.”

Of the three Moti Masjids or Pearl Mosques, built during the Mughal era, with the other two being at Lahore and Delhi, the one inside the Agra Fort is most striking. The Agra Fort, built emperor Akbar between 1565-79. Located north of the Diwan-i-Am or Hall of Public Audience, the mosque was built in 1654 by Mughal emperor Shahjahan for his members of the royal court. The three marble domes of the mosque rest over the red sandstone walls and seen in totality the structure is inviting. A red sandstone gateway leads into its interior of pure white marble.

However, the mosque continues to be neglected by authorities concerned. A portion of the mosque suffered damages while workers were recently giving it mudpack therapy. Air pollution and natural aging have given the monuments a slightly yellow tinge. To return the renowned monument to its pearly white state, the therpay is being used.

But the restoration of the damaged portion is yet to be done. Not only this, several damages have been witenessed to the palaces of Jahanara and Roshanara, the daughters of emperor Shahjahan, also located inside the Agra Fort. When contacted by the HT on Thursday, an ASI offical admitted to the damages and assured, “A repair work would soon be carried out to resotre the damged portions of the monuments.“