Captain the Hon. Frederick William John Shore (fl. 1883-1891)

This painting depicts the Shah Hamadan's Mosque, in Srinagar, Kashmir. The mosque sits on the right bank of the River Jhelum, and was first constructed in 1395 by Shah Sikandar to commemorate Shah Hamadan’s visit. This initial structure was destroyed by fire twice, in 1479 and 1731, and then rebuilt.

Captain Shore captures the imposing scale of the mosque, which stands at thirty eight metres tall, by including the Srinagar’s wooden houses, figures and the ghats down to the river. Captain Shore carefully details the mosque and showcases the quintessentially Kashmiri wooden architecture and papier mâché decorative features. The Shah Hamadan's Mosque is now one of the best surviving examples of this architectural style.

The mosque was a popular subject matter for British artists and photographers in the 19th century. The Victoria and Albert Museum have comparable works from the period, including two photographs of the mosque by Francis Frith and Samuel Bourne.

We are grateful to Dr Crispin Branfoot for his assistance in identifying the Shah Hamadan Mosque.