PRINCES AND PAINTERS IN MUGHAL DELHI 1707-1857

EXHIBIT AT THE ASIA SOCIETY NEW YORK

through May 6th.

 

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I think I mentioned this exhibit before which  I find  interesting for several reasons. This exhibit focuses on the later Mughal period, following the period when Delhi was the cultural center of North India for more than a milennium, and when  Delhi transitioned from being at the center of the Mughal Empire to becoming the crown jewel  of the British Raj. It illustrates Mughal artistic culture during the 18th and 19th century when European, regional art and Mughal art produced new styles. We can also enjoy highlights from the Company School  – paintings commissioned by and produced for  East India company officials and other personalities.

 I mention this exhibit also because one of my favorite writers, historians, journalists  was working in a curatorial  capacity with this exhibit –

William Dalrymple, born in Scotland but to my envy he spends part of the year in Delhi. His most recent book is In Search of the Sacred in Modern India.  Earlier books that anyone interested in this period would enjoy: 

White Mughals and  The Last Mughal. Dalrymple is also one of the co-founders of the  annual Jaipur Literature Festival (you probably read about the  issue with Salman Rushdie’s attendance last year).