Indian Mughal Style Hand Carved Jali Work Panel

Tall pale slab is pierced with lace-fine lattice under a carved arch.

This hand carved sandstone jali panel in the mughal style is from Rajasthan, India, and dates to the 18th century. Jali is a pierced screen carved into a lattice of geometric or floral patterns, used in Indian architecture to admit air and light while keeping privacy. Narrow rectangular block, upright and sand-colored, carved with an arched panel filled with tiny geometric openwork. Floral carved bands fill the top and bottom. The edges look slightly worn and the surface is matte and grainy. It is 17 inches wide, 2.25 deep and 71.75 high.

Tedious to make, and a pleasure to look at.