The Mughal Empire established by Babur in 1526 was one of the most powerful empires at the height of its glory. The world over, the very te...
The Mughal Empire established by Babur in 1526 was one of the most powerful empires at the height of its glory. The world over, the very term “Mughal” is able to ignite images of opulence and grandeur in the popular imagination. Such was the spell cast on the medieval European imagination that in the 17th century, John Milton (1608-1674) referred to the Mughal cities of Agra and Lahore, in his epic poem Paradise Lost – first published in 1667 – as being revealed to Adam after the Fall, as future wonders of god’s creation.
In Reflections on Mughal Art and Culture, edited by Roda Ahluwalia, thirteen eminent scholars explore its rich aesthetic and cultural legacy. Their insights take us into a world where the art of calligraphy, painting, lapidary, architecture, textiles and books are being honed to perfection under imperial patronage, and some long-held beliefs are questioned and challenged. Comparisons are drawn 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.
We see painters and calligraphers sitting together companionably with books they’ve worked on jointly lying between them: but Kavita Singh asks whether the image...
