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
Mughal Art
‘Golden Age: What Mughal Coins Tell Us About the Great Empire’ by Paul Abraham
Banker by profession and numismatist by passion, Paul maps the expanse of the Mughal empire and the breadth of its ambition through its coinage
‘Those Magnificent Mughals: 400 Years of Design Inspiration’ by Pavitra Rajaram
Designer and entrepreneur Pavitra Rajaram on the indelible footprint of the Mughal taste-makers on India’s art, culture, architecture and fashion
Wild World: Animals in Contemporary Indian Art
Spirituality, sensuality and everything in between—what animals represent in a select few of Sarmaya’s contemporary art works
The Romance of the Taj Mahal: It’s Complicated
It’s a symbol of romantic love the world over. But what do the historians have to say about Mughal India’s most famous legacy? We examine new theories and pair them with rare vintage photographs of the Taj Mahal from our archive
Finding Jesus: When Mughal Art Discovered the Land of the Bible
Starting in the 16th century, Christian themes went viral in traditional Indian art. Shubhasree Purkayastha explains how it all began
Locating Christ: Ranjit Hoskote in conversation with Paul Abraham
“Modern, contemporary, ancient, folk. All of these terms really dissolve in the face of art-making.”
Maximum Art: The Incredible Journey of Indian Miniatures
Exploring the magnificent, mammoth traditions of Indian ‘miniatures’
Meet the Muse
The Issanama may be the story of Jesus, but it draws from a syncretic narrative of history as embodied by Emperor Akbar’s incredible Hamzanama folios
Prayer at Gethsemane
This painting is an interpretation, Jesus prays to his father on the night before his crucifixion. The artist Manish Soni has employed a distinctive Hamzanama trope to convey the intensity and pathos of this scene.
Raising of Lazarus
This folio titled ‘Raising of Lazarus’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist, Manish… Read more »
Calming the Storm III
This folio titled ‘Calming the Storm III’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist, Manish… Read more »
Calming the Storm II
This folio titled ‘Calming the Storm II’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist, Manish… Read more »
Calming the Storm I
This folio titled ‘Calming the Storm I’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist, Manish… Read more »
Calming the Storm (triptych)
This intricately detailed triptych tells the story of Jesus calming the storm. The first of the panels, Jesus stands at the bank of the river, pointing towards the boat which will take him and his disciples to the island where they can rest.
The Temptation of Christ
This folio titled ‘The Temptation of Christ’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist,… Read more »
The First Miracle at Cana
This folio titled ‘The First Miracle at Cana’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation… Read more »
Samaritan Woman at the Well
This folio titled ‘Samaritan Woman at the Well’ is a part of the Issanama series. The episode depicts the meeting of Jesus with a woman in Samaria, who gives him water to quench his thirst and a conversation between them follows. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush… Read more »
The Last Supper
The scene here shows Jesus and his twelve apostles huddled around a fire, on what seems like a cold and silent night, for a simple meal. This painting is the artist’s homage to a great work by the 18th-century Pahari master Nainsukh.
The Baptism of Christ
This is a reinterpretation of the Biblical episode in the style of the Hamzanama original titled ‘The Prophet Elijah Rescuing Prince Nur ad Dahr’. The juxtaposition of the figures in this work with the original folio is interesting, and so is the clever replacement of Christ in place of the prince.