Indian Jali Work Panel

Very tall, very slim, and patterned edge to edge with scallops.

This jali work panel is from Rajasthan, India, and dates to the 18th century. In Rajasthani palaces and havelis, pierced jali screens filtered harsh sunlight, cooled the passing air and allowed those inside to look out without being seen. Here the lattice is a tight grid of overlapping scalloped arcs in pale cream, running unbroken from top to bottom with no change of rhythm. A slim black frame encloses it on all four sides. It is 17.5 inches wide, 3 deep and 106 high.

A window that prefers to keep a few secrets.