From Mind, Heart, and Hand

Book excerpt: 02 A superb selection of drawings from the extraordinary collection of Stuart Cary WelchStuart Cary Welch’s collection of Persian, Turkish, and Indian art is renowned throughout the world for its quality and depth. In 1999, Welch made a generous gift of drawings to the Harvard University Art Museums, which form the basis of the present catalogue. Spanning five centuries and extending from Istanbul to Calcutta, these drawings represent the great empires of the Ottomans in Turkey, the Safavids in Iran, and the Mughals in India as well as numerous regional Hindu kingdoms. This beautifully illustrated book presents more than seventy exquisite drawings—some of which are counted among the greatest Indian, Persian, or Turkish drawings ever made—and explores the connections between the arts and artists of the three cultures.As with drawings from European traditions, the works display an immediacy that is often absent in paintings. The drawings deal with fascinating and diverse subjects ranging from court portraits, stories from fable and myth, and hunting scenes to animals, flowers, and people sketched from life. The contributors to the book shed light on various aspects of the drawings and the artists, and Welch offers an engaging account of his trials and triumphs while acquiring the works in his unparalleled collection. This book is the catalogue for an exhibition at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (September 17 to November 28, 2004) and at the Harvard University Art Museums (March 19 to June 12, 2005).Stuart Cary Welch is curator emeritus, Department of Islamic and Later Indian Art, Harvard University Art Museums; Kimberly Masteller is assistant curator of Islamic and Later Indian Art at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University Art Museums. A superb selection of drawings from the extraordinary collection of Stuart Cary WelchStuart Cary Welch’s collection of Persian, Turkish, and Indian art is renowned throughout the world for its quality and depth. In 1999, Welch made a generous gift of drawings to the Harvard University Art Museums, which form the basis of the present catalogue. Spanning five centuries and extending from Istanbul to Calcutta, these drawings represent the great empires of the Ottomans in Turkey, the Safavids in Iran, and the Mughals in India as well as numerous regional Hindu kingdoms. This beautifully illustrated book presents more than seventy exquisite drawings—some of which are counted among the greatest Indian, Persian, or Turkish drawings ever made—and explores the connections between the arts and artists of the three cultures.As with drawings from European traditions, the works display an immediacy that is often absent in paintings. The drawings deal with fascinating and diverse subjects ranging from court portraits, stories from fable and myth, and hunting scenes to animals, flowers, and people sketched from life. The contributors to the book shed light on various aspects of the drawings and the artists, and Welch offers an engaging account of his trials and triumphs while acquiring the works in his unparalleled collection. This book is the catalogue for an exhibition at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (September 17 to November 28, 2004) and at the Harvard University Art Museums (March 19 to June 12, 2005).Stuart Cary Welch is curator emeritus, Department of Islamic and Later Indian Art, Harvard University Art Museums; Kimberly Masteller is assistant curator of Islamic and Later Indian Art at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University Art Museums.