Sultans of Deccan India, 1500-1700: Opulence and Fantasy

New York and New Haven, CT: Metropolitan Museum of Art; Yale University Press, 2015. Cloth, xi, 368 pages, colour illustrations, maps; 29 cm. Published in conjunction with the exhibition "Sultans of Deccan India, 1500-1700: Opulence and Fantasy," on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, from April 20 through July 26, 2015. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Dust jacket protected in a mylar cover. OVERSIZE! No priority/international, except by arrangement. Richly illustrated with colour plates. "A survey of the stunningly beautiful visual and decorative arts created by India's Deccan kingdoms. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Deccan plateau of south-central India was home to a series of important, highly cultured Muslim kingdoms and was a nexus of international trade. Invigorated by cultural connections to Iran, Turkey, East Africa, and Europe, Deccani art is celebrated for its unmistakable, otherworldly character: in painting, a poetic lyricism; in architecture, a somber grandeur; and in the decorative arts, lively creations in inlaid metalwork and dyed textiles. This beautifully illustrated catalogue, which includes extraordinary new site photographs and lush landscape images, along with discussions of 200 of the finest Deccani works, creates the most comprehensive examination to date of this fascinating and remote world. The text not only discusses paintings, drawings, textiles, arms, manuscripts, and other decorative arts from this rich culture, but also explores the history, architecture, literature, and music of the period. Essays by prominent international authors, supplemented by informative maps, illustrated appendices, and select primary sources, make this pioneering book a key resource on the subject." - Publisher. CONTENTS: The Deccan: a golden age; A history of the Deccan, 1500-1700, by Richard M. Eaton; The art of the Deccan courts, by Navina Najat Haidar; The Bahmanis and their artistic legacy, by Marika Sardar; Ahmadnagar and Berar; Bijapur; The art of Abri: marbled album leaves, drawings, and paintings of the Deccan, by Jake Benson; Bidar; Bidar ware, by John Robert Alderman; Golconda; Inscribed sacred vessels, by Abdullah Ghouchani, Marika Sardar, and Navina Najat Haidar; The courtly tradition of Kalamkaris, by Marika Sardar; Drawn to the Deccan: Mughals and Europeans in the Deccan; The Mughals in the Deccan, by Terence McInerney; Burhanpur and Aurangabad, by Marika Sardar; Europeans in the Deccan, by Sanjay Subrahmanyam; Diamonds of the Deccan, by Navina Najat Haidar; Epilogue: Hyderabad under the Asaf Jahi Nizans.. 1st. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. 4to. Collectible.