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SOUTH ASIAN OBJECTS FROM THE COLLECTION
INDIA
Sculpture from the Kushan Period
Sculpture from North India, 5th-7th Centuries
Jain sculpture
Sculpture of the Pala Period
Stone Sculpture from Hindu Temples
Sculptures from South India, 8th-9th Centuries
Bronze Sculpture of the Chola Period
Art for the Mughal and Rajput Courts
Hindu Temple Hangings
Buddhist Painting from India, Nepal, and Tibet
NEPAL
Buddhist Painting from India, Nepal, and Tibet
Sculpture from Nepal
PAKISTAN
Sculpture from the Kushan Period
SRI LANKA
Two Bodhisattvas from Sri Lanka
Art for the Mughal and Rajput Courts

From 1526 through the mid-19th century, much of northern India was ruled by the Mughals, an Islamic dynasty with Central Asian origins. However, some regions of the northwestern part of the subcontinent were under the control of the native Hindu Rajput kings. Much of the history and thus the art history of the era concerns the many and varied ways in which the relationships between the Mughal and Rajput rulers were established and redefined.

The art of painting developed greatly under the patronage of both the Mughals and Rajputs. However, only a small number of artists are known as most worked anonymously in ateliers -- the four examples in the Asia Society's collection are not signed. Although primarily supported by royalty and by wealthy merchant communities, artists were not always permanently attached to particular workshop, often migrating between states and patrons. As a result, the Mughal and Rajput styles often influenced each other, especially as artists were not limited by either their religious affiliations or by that of their patron.

Other forms of art that flourished at the courts included stone carving, metal-working, and textile and carpet production. The Asia Society's collection contains two intricately carved sandstone screens, typical examples of decorative Mughal stonework.

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Bhagavata Purana folio


Ta'rikh-i Alfi folio


Ragamala folio


Amaru Shataka folio


Sandstone Screen


Sandstone Screen
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