Revêtements émaillés des premiers Moghols à Delhi
Résumé
Glazed tiles were already used in India during the Sultanate period (i.e. up to 1526). However, their technology differs slightly from the Central-Asian or Iranian ones; Indian architecture is mainly made of stone, whereas the original Timurid monuments are made of bricks. When the Mughals occupied Northern India, they benefited from local materials and know-how; their monuments display thus mixed inflows, concerning both building materials and decoration patterns. This study concentrates on monuments built in Delhi during the 16th century; two different periods can be identified. The first phase shows the heritage of the Sultanate architecture integrating into Mughal buildings. The second phase, mainly covering the first decades of Akbar’s reign (1556-1605), illustrates the affirmation of Mughal aesthetics and identity. This survey is also the occasion to point out conservation and restoration issues.