Marble Palace is a palatial nineteenth-century

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

in North Kolkata. It is located at 46, Muktaram Babu Street, Kolkata 700007. It is one of the best-preserved and most elegant houses of nineteenth-century Calcutta. The mansion is famous for its marble walls, floors, and sculptures, from which it derives its name.

History

The house was built in 1835 by Raja Rajendra Mullick, a wealthy Bengali merchant with a passion for collecting works of art. The house continues to be a residence for his descendants, and the current occupants are the family of Raja Rajendra Mullick Bahadur. Raja Rajendra Mullick was the adopted son of Nilmoni Mullick, who built a Jagannath temple which predates Marble Palace, and still stands within the premises, but is only accessible to members of the family.

Architecture

The house is Neoclassical in style, while the plan with its open courtyards is largely traditional Bengali. Adjacent to the courtyard, there is a ''thakur-dalan'', or place of worship for members of the family. The three-story building has tall fluted

Corinthian pillars The Corinthian order ( Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...

and ornamented verandas with fretwork and sloping roofs, built in the style of a Chinese pavilion. The premises also include a garden with lawns, a rock garden, a lake and a small zoo.

Collections

Marble Palace houses many Western sculptures, pieces of Victorian furniture, paintings by European and Indian artists, and other artifacts. Decorative objects include large chandeliers, clocks, floor to ceiling mirrors, urns, and royal busts. The house is said to contain two paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, ''The Marriage of St. Catherine'' and ''The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian''. There are also said to be two paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds, ''The Infant Hercules Strangling the Serpent'' and ''Venus and Cupid''. Other artists said to figure in the collections include Titian,

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ( , ; late December 1617, baptized January 1, 1618April 3, 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporar ...

, and John Opie. The collection of artifacts is lavish but random; genuinely valuable pieces of art share space with a lot of kitschy art objects of little value. This has caused some to feel the collection is superficial and gaudy.

Geoffrey Moorhouse Geoffrey Moorhouse, Royal Geographical Society, FRGS, Royal Society of Literature, FRSL, Doctor of Letters, D.Litt. (29 November 1931 – 26 November 2009) was an English journalist and author. He was born Geoffrey Heald in Bolton and took his ste ...

in his book ''Calcutta'' says it looks "as if they had been scavenged from job lots on the Portobello Road on a series of damp Saturday afternoons."

Appearances in fiction

The final scene of the French novel '' Le vol des cigognes'' de

Jean-Christophe Grangé Jean-Christophe Grangé (born 15 July 1961) is a French mystery writer, journalist, and screenwriter. Grangé was born in Paris. He was a journalist before setting up his own press agency L & G. Bibliography * '' Le Vol des cigognes'' (1994) ** ...

takes place in the Marble Palace.

Access

Because Marble Palace remains a private residence, photography is prohibited. Entry is free, but a permit must be obtained 24 hours in advance from the West Bengal Tourism Information Bureau at B. B. D. Bagh, Kolkata. Inside the house, there are guides who give visitors a tour of the house, although the parts of the house which are still inhabited remain off-limits. Marble Palace is open from 10am to 4pm on all days except Mondays and Thursdays.

References

Bibliography

*Chatterjee, Dinabandhu. "A Short Sketch of Rajah Rajendro Mullick Bahadur and His Family", Calcutta: Calcutta Print Works, 1917.

External links

Marble Palace of Kolkata - Secret World
{{Kolkata topics Palaces in Kolkata Museums in Kolkata Houses completed in 1835 1835 establishments in India Marble buildings