Royal Asiatic Society Blog

British Library Exhibition: Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 09:02 AM PST

The Royal Asiatic Society is very pleased that folios from its Persian manuscript 'Muhammad Juki's Shahnamah of Firdausi' are on display in the British Library's current major exhibition Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire. Running until 2nd April 2013 the exhibition will explore one of the most powerful and splendid of all the world's great dynasties which produced a great number of rulers of outstanding ability in statecraft and culture, whether in empire-building or as patrons of art and architecture. It is the first exhibition to document the entire historical period from the 16th to the 19th century, through more than 200 exquisite manuscripts and the finest paintings drawn almost exclusively from the British Library's extensive heritage collection.

A folio from RAS Persian 239 (c) Royal Asiatic Society
some of which is on display at the current British Library Exhibition

Curated by Dr. Malini Roy, Curator of Visual Arts at the British Library, the exhibition will invite visitors into the sumptuous world of the Mughals, which at its peak stretched from Kabul in the east and over most of the South Asian subcontinent. It will reveal the extravagant lives of the emperors, their strategic methods of managing their vast and culturally diverse empire and their active role as patrons of art, literature and sciences, as well as builders of legendary monuments such as the Taj Mahal. Behind the stunning visual imagery are dramatic stories of the empire, rife with poisonings, love affairs and a constant hunger for knowledge and power. Dr Roy comments "We are so pleased to be displaying these stunning manuscripts, paintings, and jewelled objects from Mughal India, some never before exhibited, opening a window into a long-diminished world. The objects in our collection span four centuries, from the foundation of the Mughal dynasty by Babur in the 16^th century, through the heights of the empire and the 'Great' Mughal emperors of the 17^th century, into the decline and eventual collapse in the 19^th century. It is with great pleasure that we are able to share our collection's beauty with a wider audience."

Highlights of the exhibition include:

Akbar ordering the slaughter to cease in 1578 (below) - a folio from an imperial manuscript on the history of Emperor Akbar (r.1556-1605) attributed to the artist Miskina, circa 1595. One of the greatest rulers of the Indian subcontinent, an intellectual skilled in statecraft, Akbar was an advocate of understanding and inclusiveness of all religious faiths. The scene pictures Akbar in contemplation during an organised hunt; in a moment of divine or mystical intervention, he asks for the animals to be set free.

Akbar ordering the slaugher to cease in 1578 (c.1595). Artwork from Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire (c) British Library Board, Johnson Album 8,4

A newly identified portrait of Prince Dara Shikoh (1615-59), the favourite son and heir-apparent of Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1627-58) attributed to the artist Murar, circa 1631-32. This portrait features in the only surviving album compiled by Dara Shikoh, a passionate connoisseur of the arts and scholar of religion. The album was personally dedicated by Dara Shikoh to his beloved wife Nadira Banu Begum in 1641-42; they were married in 1633.

Portrait of Prince Dara Shikoh (1631-32). Artwork from Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire (c) British Library Board, Add.Or.3129 folio 59v

The exhibition will be accompanied by a selection of events such 'An evening of sorcery and seduction' a night of stories, poetry and music.

Text and British Library images courtesy of British Library Press and Policy http://pressandpolicy.bl.uk/

Divine Books=Department of India Studies

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

British Library Exhibition: Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire

Royal Asiatic Society Blog

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