Reflections on Mughal Art & Culture

Reflections on Mughal Art and Culture, recently published, explores the rich aesthetic and cultural legacy of the Mughal Empire with new, insightful material researched by 13 leading scholars in the field. The articles in the book discuss varied subjects under the Mughal umbrella, challenge long-held ideas and draw comparisons between the artistic expressions and material culture of the powerful Islamicate triumvirate of the early modern period. During the first half of this presentation, Roda Ahluwalia, editor of the book, will explore the diversity in chapters as well as common threads that run through them, unifying the book in aesthetic and cultural identity. 

In the second half of this presentation Kavita Singh, Professor, School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU, Delhi, will discuss her contribution to the volume in which she  discusses the text-image relationship of select examples from the Akbarnama, Jahangirnama and Padshahnama to show significant divergences between the words and images that often faced each other across the page. She will focus on one of the examples discussed in her essay, through which she will explore reasons for the ‘gaps’ between word and image and weave her way to a keen and perceptive conclusion.”