Court & courtship

Court & Courtship: Indian Miniatures in the TAPI Collection' is a study of Indian paintings in which the author J.P. Losty explores the well-trod highways and the lesser-known byways of miniature paintings, put together by the well-known textile collectors, Praful and Shilpa Shah. Starting with a splendid 16th-century painting from the early Rajput Bhagvata Purana, readers will savor the variety of Mughal and other portraits of emperors, princes, courtiers, and of royal elephants and horses. Courtly pictures include several from the Deccan, Rajasthan, Central India, and the northern hills. Resplendent ladies in 18th and 19th-century attire adorn the pages, as do paintings acquired for the textiles and costumes they illustrate -- jamas, paijamas, angarkhas, turbans, odhnis, patkas, canopies, and qanats. Representing the classic texts of Sanskrit and Hindi literature are stunning examples from a 17th-century ragamala, the Shangri Ramayana, the Gita Govinda, Harivamsha, and Rasikapriya. Two of the most impressive paintings ever to come out of Nathdwara are featured here, from the hands of master artists Sukhdev Gaur and Ghasiram Sharma. Showcasing 90 superb images, this collection is sure to be of interest to lovers of Indian art.