Lahori

In the ivory-white marbled walls of India’s emblematic monument lie these beautifully carved floral designs.

Photographed by Gérard Degeorge, these unique marble carvings capture the breathtaking construction and exquisiteness of one of the world’s greatest structures, the Taj Mahal.

Intriguing in its unique nature, the Taj Mahal is adorned both inside and out with these marbled flowers. Special in their specific colours and form, the decorations are incrustations of precious or semiprecious stones according to the technique known as “pietra dura,” a Florentine practice consisting of inlaid stones in a stone background.

In Islamic culture, flowers are often seen as symbols of Paradise; the Kingdom of God.

To carve into marble is to commit to perfection. Any mistake meant the whole stone slab had to be discarded. In reproducing one of Gérard Degeorge’s photographs of the famous monument, this cover celebrates these precious marble masterpieces. This Lahori design takes its name from Ustad Ahmad Lahori, who was said to have been the chief architect of the Taj Mahal.