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The great Mughals : art, architecture and opulence / edited by Susan Stronge.

By: Contributor(s): Publication details: London : V&A Publishing, 2024.Description: 304 pages : illustrations, 1 map ; 30 cmISBN:
  • 9781838510367
Subject(s):
Contents:
Preface / Susan Stronge -- Introduction / Rajeev Kinra
The reign of Akbar (r.1556-1605) -- The reign of Akbar: the creation of a new art / Susan Stronge -- The bronze and copper wares of Mughal Hindustan / Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani -- The Portuguese and the global gem trade / Hugo Miguel Crespo -- A Koran from the Imperial Mughal library / Ursula Sims-Williams -- The Bargello mother-of-pearl shield and its European reception / Adriana Concin
The reign of Jahangir (r.1605-27) -- The reign of Jahangir: thhe treasury of the world / Susan Stronge -- Sa'ida Gilani and the jades of Hindustan / Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani -- Mughal carpets: the 'Indian Tradition' / Steven Cohen -- A sufi ode from a vanished Lahore mosque, 1615-16 / Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani -- All that glitters: an early Mughal Zardozi canopy / Avalon Fotheringham -- The making of the V&A Mughal coat / Avalon Fotheringham -- The zodiacal and portrait coins of Emperor Jahangir: art and poetry in circulation / Shailendra Bhandare
The reign of Shah Jahan (r.1628-68) -- The reign of Shah Jahan: the Garden of Paradise / Susan Stronge -- Mughal textiles and dress / Sylvia Houghteling -- Plumes, pets and pishkesh: exotic animals and the Great Mughals / Peter Jarman -- The 'Fire-Bearer' sword of Emperor Jahangir: a Mughal dynastic heirloom / Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani -- Chinese porcelain in the Mughal treasury / Ricarda Brosch -- Portable monuments: the reproduction of Mughal architecture / Divia Patel
Summary: 'The Great Mughals' presents the opulent, internationalist culture of Mughal Hindustan in the age of its greatest emperors: Akbar (r. 1556-1605), Jahangir (r. 1605-27) and Shah Jahan (r. 1628-58). Providing a compelling new narrative to describe the origins of Mughal art, it explores how a huge Iranian influence permeated the sophisticated craft traditions of the Indian subcontinent to create a distinctively Mughal court are included, from contemporary portraits to jeweled gold vessels and carpets. In chapters that conjure the unique dynamics of each reign, essays with historical sweep combine with texts focused on important objects to tell unexpected stories about a dynasty perhaps best known for commissioning the Taj Mahal.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 9 November 2024 - 5 May 2025.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 291-298) and index.

Preface / Susan Stronge -- Introduction / Rajeev Kinra

The reign of Akbar (r.1556-1605) -- The reign of Akbar: the creation of a new art / Susan Stronge -- The bronze and copper wares of Mughal Hindustan / Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani -- The Portuguese and the global gem trade / Hugo Miguel Crespo -- A Koran from the Imperial Mughal library / Ursula Sims-Williams -- The Bargello mother-of-pearl shield and its European reception / Adriana Concin

The reign of Jahangir (r.1605-27) -- The reign of Jahangir: thhe treasury of the world / Susan Stronge -- Sa'ida Gilani and the jades of Hindustan / Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani -- Mughal carpets: the 'Indian Tradition' / Steven Cohen -- A sufi ode from a vanished Lahore mosque, 1615-16 / Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani -- All that glitters: an early Mughal Zardozi canopy / Avalon Fotheringham -- The making of the V&A Mughal coat / Avalon Fotheringham -- The zodiacal and portrait coins of Emperor Jahangir: art and poetry in circulation / Shailendra Bhandare

The reign of Shah Jahan (r.1628-68) -- The reign of Shah Jahan: the Garden of Paradise / Susan Stronge -- Mughal textiles and dress / Sylvia Houghteling -- Plumes, pets and pishkesh: exotic animals and the Great Mughals / Peter Jarman -- The 'Fire-Bearer' sword of Emperor Jahangir: a Mughal dynastic heirloom / Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani -- Chinese porcelain in the Mughal treasury / Ricarda Brosch -- Portable monuments: the reproduction of Mughal architecture / Divia Patel

'The Great Mughals' presents the opulent, internationalist culture of Mughal Hindustan in the age of its greatest emperors: Akbar (r. 1556-1605), Jahangir (r. 1605-27) and Shah Jahan (r. 1628-58). Providing a compelling new narrative to describe the origins of Mughal art, it explores how a huge Iranian influence permeated the sophisticated craft traditions of the Indian subcontinent to create a distinctively Mughal court are included, from contemporary portraits to jeweled gold vessels and carpets. In chapters that conjure the unique dynamics of each reign, essays with historical sweep combine with texts focused on important objects to tell unexpected stories about a dynasty perhaps best known for commissioning the Taj Mahal.

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