Reflections on Mughal Art and Culture

Reflections on Mughal Art and Culture PDF Author: Roda Ahluwalia
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789389136784
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
- Offers fresh insights into the rich aesthetic and cultural legacy of the Imperial Mughal age in the Indian subcontinent - Essays by 13 eminent international scholars draw comparisons between the Mughals, the Safavids and the Ottomans - Over 159 images of Mughal artifacts, paintings, gardens and monuments illustrate the lasting heritage of the Imperial Mughals Enter the splendid world of Mughal India and explore its rich aesthetic and cultural legacy through fresh insights offered by 13 eminent scholars. Recent scholarship in this field has offered deeper analysis into established norms, explored pan-Indian connections and drawn comparisons with contemporaneous regions of the early modern world. Further studies along these lines were encouraged in a seminar held by the K.R. Cama Oriental Institute, Mumbai, and the formidable scholarship presented by contributors forms the content of this volume. The articles in this book explore varied subjects under the Mughal umbrella, challenge long-held ideas and draw comparisons between the artistic expressions and material culture of the powerful Islamicate triumvirate of the early modern period - the Safavids in Iran, the European-based Ottomans and the Mughals in the Indian subcontinent. Themes as diverse as portraits of royal women, sub-imperial patronage of temples, word-image relationship, the lapidary arts and the Imperial Library of the Mughals, a reconsideration of Mughal garden typologies, murals painted on architectural surfaces, the textile culture of the city of Burhanpur, changes in visual language and content of painting, and Imperial objets d'art have been discussed, challenged and analyzed. The final three articles are groundbreaking comparisons across Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal spheres. This beautifully illustrated book is sure to appeal to c

Reflections on Mughal Art and Culture

Reflections on Mughal Art and Culture PDF Author: Roda Ahluwalia
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789389136784
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Get Book Here

Book Description
- Offers fresh insights into the rich aesthetic and cultural legacy of the Imperial Mughal age in the Indian subcontinent - Essays by 13 eminent international scholars draw comparisons between the Mughals, the Safavids and the Ottomans - Over 159 images of Mughal artifacts, paintings, gardens and monuments illustrate the lasting heritage of the Imperial Mughals Enter the splendid world of Mughal India and explore its rich aesthetic and cultural legacy through fresh insights offered by 13 eminent scholars. Recent scholarship in this field has offered deeper analysis into established norms, explored pan-Indian connections and drawn comparisons with contemporaneous regions of the early modern world. Further studies along these lines were encouraged in a seminar held by the K.R. Cama Oriental Institute, Mumbai, and the formidable scholarship presented by contributors forms the content of this volume. The articles in this book explore varied subjects under the Mughal umbrella, challenge long-held ideas and draw comparisons between the artistic expressions and material culture of the powerful Islamicate triumvirate of the early modern period - the Safavids in Iran, the European-based Ottomans and the Mughals in the Indian subcontinent. Themes as diverse as portraits of royal women, sub-imperial patronage of temples, word-image relationship, the lapidary arts and the Imperial Library of the Mughals, a reconsideration of Mughal garden typologies, murals painted on architectural surfaces, the textile culture of the city of Burhanpur, changes in visual language and content of painting, and Imperial objets d'art have been discussed, challenged and analyzed. The final three articles are groundbreaking comparisons across Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal spheres. This beautifully illustrated book is sure to appeal to c

From Stone to Paper

From Stone to Paper PDF Author: Chanchal B. Dadlani
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300233175
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
This groundbreaking volume examines how the Mughal Empire used architecture to refashion its identity and stage authority in the 18th century, as it struggled to maintain political power against both regional challenges and the encroaching British Empire.

The Empire of the Great Mughals

The Empire of the Great Mughals PDF Author: Annemarie Schimmel
Publisher: Reaktion Books
ISBN: 9781861891853
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
Annemarie Schimmel has written extensively on India, Islam and poetry. In this comprehensive study she presents an overview of the cultural, economic, militaristic and artistic attributes of the great Mughal Empire from 1526 to 1857.

Real Birds in Imagined Gardens

Real Birds in Imagined Gardens PDF Author: Kavita Singh
Publisher: Getty Publications
ISBN: 1606065181
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Book Description
Accounts of paintings produced during the Mughal dynasty (1526–1857) tend to trace a linear, “evolutionary” path and assert that, as European Renaissance prints reached and influenced Mughal artists, these artists abandoned a Persianate style in favor of a European one. Kavita Singh counters these accounts by demonstrating that Mughal painting did not follow a single arc of stylistic evolution. Instead, during the reigns of the emperors Akbar and Jahangir, Mughal painting underwent repeated cycles of adoption, rejection, and revival of both Persian and European styles. Singh’s subtle and original analysis suggests that the adoption and rejection of these styles was motivated as much by aesthetic interest as by court politics. She contends that Mughal painters were purposely selective in their use of European elements. Stylistic influences from Europe informed some aspects of the paintings, including the depiction of clothing and faces, but the symbolism, allusive practices, and overall composition remained inspired by Persian poetic and painterly conventions. Closely examining magnificent paintings from the period, Singh unravels this entangled history of politics and style and proposes new ways to understand the significance of naturalism and stylization in Mughal art.

Rajput Painting

Rajput Painting PDF Author: Roda Ahluwalia
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
To enter the world of Rajput painting is to enter a dream world of fantasy and colour, of heroes and heroines gorgeously attired in brilliant hues, of epic poems and love songs, of courtly majesty and India's romantic past. These beautifully illustrated works convey the spirit of the great Hindu classical tradition that existed in painting, literature and all the arts from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Rajput Paintings explores the historical and art-historical background, focusing on the influence of Mughal painting and the important cult of Krishna. It illustrates and explores themes taken from folk tales and epic literature, erotic and religious poems, myths, legends and music, and provides a unique guide to local styles in the principalities of Rajasthan, central India and the Punjab. The illustrations, taken mainly from the collections of the British Museum and the British Library, include many previously unpublished images.

The Art of Sukumar Bose

The Art of Sukumar Bose PDF Author: Venka Purushothaman
Publisher: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
ISBN: 9814517844
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 131

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Book Description
To commemorate the centenary of artist Sukumar Bose (1912–1986), this book attempts to take an incisive look at the artist, his works and the context of his art production in South and Southeast Asia. Bose’s art varied from the traditional to the decorative and ornamental, with a hint of the Oriental flavour. His work demonstrated traces of the Bengal School styles of Abanindranath Tagore and AR Chugtai. Be it figurative, landscape or abstract, Bose’s art synthesized the decorative elements of Indo-Persian miniatures with Chinese and Japanese techniques. In this context, his vision and passion were inspired by traditional art forms, including Ajanta, Rajput and Mughal miniatures. His incisive observations of life, people and cultures, during colonial and postcolonial India and his later sojourn into Southeast Asia, emerge as both a contested yet seamless narrative of history and hope in his art. This book is the first of its kind to document and give a critical overview of Sukumar Bose.

Mughal Architecture

Mughal Architecture PDF Author: Ebba Koch
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789380607535
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The architecture created in southern Asia under the patronage of the great Mughals (1526-1858) is one of the richest and most inventive of the Islamic area, including such world famous buildings as the Taj Mahal in Agra or the tomb of Humayun in Delhi, the palaces and mosques in Agra, Delhi, Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore. All buildings types are considered, not only the well known masterpieces but also country houses, hunting palaces, gardens, mausoleums, mosques, bath houses, bazaars and other public buildings. Many of these are still unknown even to specialists. The unique book, covering the whole range of Mughal architecture and including numerous new photographs and detailed plans presents the results of the author's extensive field work in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as Iran and the central Asian region of the Soviet Union. The author's in-depth knowledge of the original sources provides the reader with invaluable background information.

Despair and Modernity

Despair and Modernity PDF Author: Harsha V. Dehejia
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publishe
ISBN: 9788120817555
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
Dehejia has tried to create a place within the main frame of culture and philosophy of Indian art for a legitimate analytic theory called despair. Dehejia's effort creates a space for the modern within Indian classicism by negotiating the philosophy of despair in classical terms. As a result the basic schism that has grown in recent years between the philosophy and history of modern art on the one hand and the philosophy and history of traditional arts is today cloder to being breached.

Writing the Mughal World

Writing the Mughal World PDF Author: Muzaffar Alam
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231158114
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 538

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Book Description
Between the mid-sixteenth and early nineteenth century, the Mughal Empire was an Indo-Islamic dynasty that ruled as far as Bengal in the east and Kabul in the west, as high as Kashmir in the north and the Kaveri basin in the south. The Mughals constructed a sophisticated, complex system of government that facilitated an era of profound artistic and architectural achievement. They promoted the place of Persian culture in Indian society and set the groundwork for South Asia's future development. In this volume, two leading historians of early modern South Asia present nine major joint essays on the Mughal Empire, framed by an essential introductory reflection. Making creative use of materials written in Persian, Indian vernacular languages, and a variety of European languages, their chapters accomplish the most significant innovations in Mughal historiography in decades, intertwining political, cultural, and commercial themes while exploring diplomacy, state-formation, history-writing, religious debate, and political thought. Muzaffar Alam and Sanjay Subrahmanyam center on confrontations between different source materials that they then reconcile, enabling readers to participate in both the debate and resolution of competing claims. Their introduction discusses the comparative and historiographical approach of their work and its place within the literature on Mughal rule. Interdisciplinary and cutting-edge, this volume richly expands research on the Mughal state, early modern South Asia, and the comparative history of the Mughal, Ottoman, Safavid, and other early modern empires.

The Wisdom of Ananda Coomaraswamy

The Wisdom of Ananda Coomaraswamy PDF Author: Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy
Publisher: World Wisdom, Inc
ISBN: 1935493957
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
Ananda Coomaraswamy (1877-1947) was one of the most famous scholars of Indian art, culture, and religion. He served for many years as the Keeper of Indian and Islamic Art at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, establishing one of the most impressive collections of oriental artifacts in the world. This anthology contains thematically arranged excerpts from his many writings, letters, and speeches, making it a uniquely accessible collection of his wisdom and insight. It is richly illustrated with over 140 black-and-white historical photographs and paintings.