The mighty Persian warrior Rustam; the Israelite prophets Joseph, Moses, and Elijah; the Christian Messiah; the Mughal emperors Babur, Humayun, and Akbar; and the women of the harem; Mughal paintings tell the stories of these figures from epic poetry, holy texts, and the real-life history of the Mughals, one of the greatest empires of the early modern period. Captured in this unique art form, Mughal paintings blend Persian and Indian themes and styles, along with Central Asian and European elements. The results are works of great beauty: intense, delicate, detailed, luxurious, and unique. The Cleveland Museum of Art’s leading collection of Indian art in the United States, illustrated here in stunning detail. The provenance, publication history, and technical information of each manuscript painting is also accompanied by full transcriptions of Persian and Arabic calligraphy.
AUTHOR: Sonya Quintanilla is the George P. Bickford Curator of Indian and Southeast Asian Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Catherine Glynn Benkaim is a former curator of Indian Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Pedro Moura Carvalho is chief curator of the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore. Marcus Fraser is an independent Islamic art consultant and specialist in Islamic calligraphy. Mohsen Ashtiany is an associate research scholar at Columbia University. Ruby Lal is professor of South Asian Studies in the Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies at Emory University, Atlanta. 350 colour illustrations