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JULY, 1915]
of Brevarius and subsequent pilgrims. Brevarius writes "intranti in ecclesiam Sancti Constantini magna ob occidente est absida." That this has nothing to do with an apse, but is on the contrary the same as the hemisphere of which Eusebrius speaks is proved by the characteristic detail given by both writers that the object in question rested on twelve columns disposed in a circle and surmounted by Silver Hydrae. Ciboria frequently had hemispherical cupolas and one of this type is shown on the mosaic of church of Saint George at Thessalonica. In a subsequent articles1 he gives an interesting quotation from Eutychius (d. 940) to the effect that the Khalif Walid carried off a dome of brass gilt (in which description he recognizes another ciboria) from the church at Baalbek, in order to cover the Sakhra (rock) at Jerusalem, where it was no doubt placed like a baldachino over the sacred spot, in emulation of the Christian practice. It seems to me that the sight of this dome of gilt brass standing under the great wooden dome, may well have prompted the real idea of covering the latter also with plates of brass gilt.
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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
Plate IV E. shows the Madrassah-i-Shâh Husain, at Isfahân, built between 1700 and 1710 by Shâh Husain. It is covered with a fine coating of coloured tiles and the original. plate in Coste's work from which this illustration is taken, being coloured, gi es an excellent idea of the splendour of this sort of decoration.
This type of dome also spread into India where it first appears in the Mausoleum of Humâyân built 1556-65.82 (Plate IV, F.)
Humâyûn succeeded to the throne in 1530, but in 1539 was defeated at Kanauj by Sher Shah Sûr, who eventually drove him out of India. He took refuge in Persia at the court of Shah Tahmasp, by whose aid he eventually recovered his Kingdom from Shêr Shâh's successor, sixteen years later, in 1555. It is not surprising that surrounded by a Persian Army, a Persian Court, (the Governor of Delhi was a Persian, Shihâbu-ud-dîn Ahmad, Nishapuri), and no doubt Persian craftsmen, his, Mausoleum should have the double dome which was rapidly becoming general in Persia.
This building is said to have been the prototype of the Tâj, (Plate V, B.) which
ADD:O
Section of Taj Mahal, Agra. Scale 110 ft. to 1 in.
Fig. 22.
Fig. 23.
is similar in planning and arrangement (Figs. 22 and 23) and which was commenced in. 1632, i. e., about 75 years later.
51 Receuil d'archéologie orientale, tome III, pp. 88-90.
82 Carr Stephen, op. cit., p. 203.
