National Museum of Asian Art, East Building
Worlds within Worlds: Imperial Paintings from India and Iran
July 28, 2012 – September 16, 2012
Between 1556 and 1657, the greatest Mughal patrons—emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan—formed grand workshops that brought together and nurtured India's leading painters, calligraphers, and illuminators. This artistic legacy is on view with 50 of the finest folios and paintings from the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery collections, which form one of the world’s most important repositories of Mughal and Persian paintings. The exhibition opens with a selection of Persian book arts, then focuses on the groundbreaking synthesis achieved by Persian emigres and local Indian artists, and ends with superb works created under Akbar's son and grandson. Highlights include six folios from the Late Shah Jahan Album, which have sumptuous borders that exemplify the emperor's love of jewels, flowers, and grandeur.
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