Art of the Court of Bijapur (Contemporary Indian Studies) - Hardcover

. . . [D]iscusses the architecture and painting of Bijapur, the capital of an Islamic kingdom in the Deccan region of India at its heyday between 1565 and 1635. Hutton describes the building of cities with fine stone palaces, tombs, and mosques; their carved decoration, paintings, and inscriptions; and how these reflected the courtly identity of the Khan. . . . Recommended. * Choice * I found the book a sheer joy to merely look at and immensely illuminating when I read it. . . * The Muslim World Book Review * . . . beautifully illustrated . . . and is an essential addition to religion and art collections that seek truly global coverage of the arts of Islamdom.13.1 2009 -- John Renard * Saint Louis University *

[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. Bijapur's 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.