Of Silk and Spice: A Tale of Two Empires
Sometimes rulers are remembered in song, sometimes in the clinking of coins. Let’s explore the empires of the Cheras and Kushans, whose greatness is echoed in the trade routes they forged
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Book of Kings: Early Mughal portraits in Muraqqa’s
Opulently gilded and calligraphed, filled with a patchwork of intricately detailed imagery, evoking wonder and awe, the muraqqa’ tells unforgettable tales of royalty
Metal Head: Royal Portraiture on the Ancient and Medieval Coins of India
The rulers of a bygone India put their likenesses on coins to announce in unambiguous terms their absolute dominance over the land. What else do these tiny metal portraits tell us about the subject in question? Let’s peel back the layers
Family Portraiture: An attempt at reading a personal album
We dive into a study of family portraiture with a set of three albums belonging to John Sinclair, the First Lord Pentland, and the Governor of Madras between 1912 and 1919—and draw out the themes that emerge from this treasure trove of 20th-century photography
Parallel Histories: Personal Photos as a Political Statement
Powerful pieces of imagery from personal albums are setting down in history what is otherwise undocumented and therefore unacknowledged, acting as the nuanced subtext that is drastically missing from our public rhetoric. We talk to the curators of these intimate archives
Think Small: Carte de Visites, Cabinet Cards & Travelling Portraits
The invention of Carte de Visites and Cabinet Cards made photography affordable and accessible to the masses—and this changed the very nature of the beast. Through Sarmaya’s priceless collection, we present a history of portable portraits
King’s Circle – Ram Singh & the Art of Intimate Portraiture
We spoke to Aparna Andhare, Curator of the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum about Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh’s iconic portraits of the royal zenana and the man himself
Portraits of a Pandemic
We asked photographers and artists how they interpreted the seasons of 2020 through their work to paint a portrait of an extraordinary year
Now reading: The stories every picture tells
An initiation into the Sarmaya team involves the confrontation of and acclimating to certain books from our library. New ‘uns are told this is necessary reading meant to familiarise them with the genres of the collection. Each object inhabits a world that is resonant and multi-faceted and it’s impossible to know where to start. “Today… Read more »
Early Photography
A 21st-century take on vintage photography techniques like platinum prints, stereoscopic photos and cyanotypes. Plus, an intriguing trail of portraits of Indian women from the Caribbean
Beyond the Form: Portraits in Modern Indian Art
Discovering the portraiture of four Modern artists from the Sarmaya collection — F.N. Souza, Laxma Goud, Dhruvi Acharya and Alexander Gorlizki
Picture Perfect: 19th-Century Photography Techniques
Discover the magical alchemy of early photography techniques practiced in India
Who is an Indian – Crafting Identity Through Photography
Early portraits in India were taken by foreigners and for a foreign audience. Let’s see how the genre of ethnographic photography has evolved in time
India’s OG Influencers – The expressive portraits of 19th-century royalty
While digital influencers seek to turn online adulation into cash in the bank, our royals had plenty of the latter and were in the limelight to win hearts and minds. Here’s how they did it through their portraits
Nature & Nurture in the Art of Pushpa Kumari
Mithila artist Pushpa Kumari’s aesthetic genius combines the traditional with the contemporary, and the personal with the political
Drawing Strength – How Madhubani Artists Have Challenged Caste Oppression
Dalit and Bahujan artists always have infused creative genius into Madhubani painting and kept it relevant. As their struggle for equality rages vigorously in society at large, it flows too through the veins of this art
Art of the Unexpected – In conversation with Santosh Kumar Das
Leaping off a firm grounding of artistic legacy, Das has created a space that feels fluid, open and wholly his own. In conversation with the Madhubani artist
Divine, Human, Feminine, Feminist – Mithila art and its women
How a matriarchal art practice emerged in response to conservatism and the patriarchy. Locating the divine as well as the human in Madhubani art
Crossing Borders with Mithila
In this digital collaboration with the Mithila Museum in Japan, Sarmaya presents a breathtaking selection of works by the first-generation of Mithila artists to stun the global art world
“Our books are like a room out of a museum”
Dulari Devi is an artist but she wasn’t always one. This is how the story begins in her autobiographical children’s book, Following My Paint Brush, published by Tara Books, an independent publishing house that brings art by Indian women, folk and indigenous artists to young readers. Coming from a community of fisherfolk in Bihar, Dulari… Read more »