Malasri Ragini from the Chunar Ragamala series (or Gaund Ragini) (detail), Rajasthan, India, c. 1591. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 22.5 x 14.8 cm. Courtesy of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University Art Museums, Gift in gratitude to John Coolidge, Gift of Leslie Cheek, Jr., Anonymous Fund in memory of Henry Berg, Louise Haskell Daly, Alpheus Hyatt, Richard Norton Memorial Funds and through the generosity of Albert H. Gordon and Emily Rauh Pulitzer; formerly in the collection of Stuart Cary Welch, Jr., 1995.90. Copyright 2003 President and Fellows of Harvard College.

India has long been a fertile ground for the germination and intersection of artistic traditions. Its rich and innovative visual heritage is well documented in artwork created during the formative years of Indian painting, from the 14th through the 17th century. During this period Persian artists brought their techniques to India to serve the new Islamic courts, and local painters used vibrant indigenous styles to illustrate religious and allegorical subjects. Aspects of these styles intermingled and culminated in the royal court paintings of the period. This exhibition of over 35 works from the Harvard University Art Museums explores the evolution of Indian painting, from early illustrations of Jain and Buddhist manuscripts to refined and syncretized paintings done in the Rajput courts and under the Mughal emperors.

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