Carved Sandstone Panel (Jali)

This square architectural panel, made from white sandstone, consists of thirteen square fields framed by borders of petals and flower heads. One larger central square is filled with cross-shaped motifs joined by flowers. The four panels along the bottom of the panel have the same pattern, while the two panels on either side have geometric patterns based on the octagon and hexagon, respectively. The four squares along the top of the panel each have a pear-shaped motif with either confronted birds or leaves enclosed by vines at the apex.The panel superficially appears to be jali work, but the stone is not in fact pierced; the carving extends only to a depth of approximately 3 cm.
Production has been localised to northwestern India, probably Rajasthan, both for the use of white sandstone and the carving style. One suggestion is that the screen has come from a palace building in Jaisalmer. One might also imagine that a 'closed' screen like this was placed on the exterior of the qibla wall of a mosque or tomb; other exterior walls might have been adorned with pierced screens but the qibla wall would have necessarily had to remain closed. The style is typical of the 9th century AH/15th century CE, combining elements of Central Asian/Islamic decoration with the Indian vocabulary of pierced screens found in temples and other early buildings.