Art of the Court of Bijapur [Hardcover]

[A]n impressive and original work of synthetic scholarship that one hopes will be emulated by others. Phillip B. Wagoner, Wesleyan University

[A]n excellent and important work... [with] a wonderful sophistication of method. Padma Kaimal, Colgate University

The patrons and artists of Bijapur, an Islamic kingdom that flourished in the Deccan region of India in the 16th and 17th centuries, produced lush paintings and elaborately carved architecture, evidence of a highly cosmopolitan Indo-Islamic culture. Bijapurs most celebrated monument, the Ibrahim Rauza tomb complex, is carved with elegant calligraphy and lotus flowers and was once dubbed the Taj Mahal of the South. This stunningly illustrated study traces the development of Bijapuri art and courtly identity through detailed examination of selected paintings and architecture, many of which have never before been published. They deserve our attention for their aesthetic qualities as well as for the ways they expand our understanding of the rich synthesis of cultures and religions in South Asian and Islamic art.

Winner of the Edward Cameron Dimock, Jr. Prize in the Indian Humanities, American Institute of Indian Studies

Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments

1. Introduction
2. Prosperous Beginnings
3. Developing Visual Metaphors
4. Meaning in Ornament
5. Conclusion

Appendix A: Adil Shahi Rulers of Bijapur
Appendix B: The Pem Nem's Illustrations
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Deborah Hutton is Assistant Professor of Art History at The College of New Jersey. She is co-editor of Asian Art: An Anthology.

. . . beautifully illustrated . . . and is an essential addition to religion and art collections that seek truly global coverage of the arts of Islamdom.13.1 2009I found the book a sheer joy to merely look at and immensely illuminating when I read it. . .. . . [D]iscusses the architecture and painting of Bijapur, the capital of an Islamic kinls%