A Treasury of Indian and Persian Miniature Paintings

Edward E. and Jane B. Ford Gallery
Open February 18, 2023 through May 7, 2023

The complex cultural heritage of India is woven into a rich, colorful fabric in this compilation of Indian miniature paintings. The first Indian paintings to receive notice and appreciation in the West were the miniature, created for the Mughal courts of India. Their realistically rendered tableaux of court life, warfare and portraiture appealed to Western tastes. Other works comprising this exhibit include Deccani: Muslim paintings from South
India, Rajasthani: Paintings from the plains in North India, Pahari: Paintings from the Himalayan foothills, and the Dhruva Folios, which illustrate portions of the Prince Dhruva story from the fourth book (Pusan) of the Bhagavata-Purana.

Included are images from the Rustam story cycle, fables such as the lion and the ox, portraits and calligraphy panels representing the three most influential schools in Shiraz, Tabriz, and Herat. Images were created in fullcolor gouache to linear watercolor. Works in the exhibition date from the 15th century to the 19th century.

Image Credit: Embracing Couple with Female Server, 89.16.527, 19th century, Gift of Kenneth Worcester Dow and Mary Mohan Dow