While the period wrapped between 1707 and 1857 saw the decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise of the British Raj, it also witnessed amazing artistic expression through portraits, miniature paintings, striking panoramas painted for the Mughal emperors and Europeans alike.
In an effort to bring the forgotten art of the later Mughals to the fore, author and historian William Dalrymple and Yuthika Sharma have highlighted the glory 18th and 19th century Delhi in the pages of Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi, 1707–1857.
“The final days of Mughals that produced the best literary works are of both historical interest and great artistic value,” says Dalrymple.
Although Yuthika didn’t make it to the launch of the book at the Shangri-La Hotel as she broke her leg, Dalrymple gave the audience a memorable presentation on the colourful past of the city and revealed that after collaborating with Yuthika for good five years, he learnt a lot from her.
Dalrymple informed that the paintings that form the backdrop of this book are from the public and private collections from all over the world and said, “In 2007, I had just written The Last Mughal and was giving a lecture at the Asia Society, when Vishakha Desai of Asia Society was so taken by the slides we showed that evening that she asked me to curate a show with these paintings. During that informal conversation emerged the idea of Princes and Painters.”
Dalrymple also read out Yuthika’s message for the evening, which said, “This book documents the neglected period of the Indian history. These paintings are masterpieces by Ghulam Ali Khan and Ghulam Murtaza Khan, Mazhar Ali Khan and Nidha Mal among others. We are happy that the book is finally releasing in India, the home of Mughals.”
There are three distinct periods covered in the 100 works featured in the book. Dalrymple gave a peek into the art that began with Akbar, flourished under Jehangir and reached its peak during Shahjehan’s reign. There are Company School paintings as well in the book produced for British officials like David Ochterlony, James Skinner, Thomas Metcalfe and William Fraser.