Four Centuries of Rajput Painting

Book excerpt: This remarkable catalogue represents one of the richest-known repertoires of Indian painting, as it documents almost all the schools of painting in India, and in particular those of the Rajput courts. The most significant miniatures come from the courts of the three main dynasties of Rajasthan, those of the Sisodia, Rathore, and Kachwaha clans. The collection also contains important examples of Mughal and Deccan painting, a group of thirty-six Pahari pictures and paintings from Central India. The volume presents, through stunning images, a lavish selection of pictorial illustrations of sacred and literary texts, documenting the stylistic features and choices of theme of various cultural and religious areas of India between the sixteenth and eighteenth-centuries. But it also provides important information on the painters, customs, and cultural interests of the different royal courts and on the types of text illustrated. It's an invaluable aid for anyone who wishes to get to know and understand the multifaceted art of the Indian subcontinent.