A 17th century Mughal white marble chadar at the Nice Musee des Arts Asiatiques

Pursuing an inspired and eclectic acquisitions policy, Nice Musee des Arts asiatiques has recently acquired a superb 17th century Mogul white marble c hadar. The chadar is embellished with elegant geometric decorative elements that fan out into a meshlike design of almost abstract rigour and simplici ty. Essential features of Mugul Indian garden architecture in which ornamen tal pools, fountains and jets of water predominate the role of chadars-smal l cascades or waterfalls-was to slow down the flow of the current as it swe pt through the canals and pools. Many chadars can still be seen today in Mo gul gardens, and they were also frequently represented in miniatures from t he Mogul period. These often portray princes and lords seated beside chadar s enjoying the deliciously cool spray.