Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/370

 318 INDIAN SARACENIC ARCHITECTURE. BOOK VII. rounded by a low colonnade 10 ft. 10 in. deep ; but on the west, by the mosque itself, 159 ft. by 56 ft. internally, which was accessible at both ends from the private apartments of the palace. It opens on the court by seven arches of great beauty, and is surmounted by three domes of the bulbous form that became universal about this time (Woodcut No. 436). The 436. View in Courtyard of Motl Masjid, Agra. (From a Photograph.) woodcut cannot do it justice, it must be seen to be appreciated ; but I hardly know, anywhere, of a building so perfectly pure and elegant, or one that forms such a wonderful contrast with the buildings of Akbar in the same place. The Jami' Masjid at Delhi begun in 1644 but not finally completed till 1658, is not unlike the Mott Masjid in plan, though built on a very much larger scale, and adorned with two noble minarets, which are wanting in the Agra example ; while from the somewhat capricious admixture of red sandstone with white marble, it is far from possessing the same elegance and purity of effect. It is, however, one of the few mosques, either in India or elsewhere, that is designed to produce a pleasing effect externally. As will be seen from the woodcut (No. 437), it is raised on a lofty basement, and its three gate- ways, combined with the four angle towers and the frontispiece