Museum Rietberg Zürich
Gablerstrasse 15
8002 Zürich
Tel. 044 415 31 31
Fax 044 415 31 32
www.rietberg.ch
Kontakt
[email protected]
Direktwahl +41 (0)44 415 31 34
Press release
AKBAR’S GOLDEN LEGACY
Paintings for India’s Emperors
9 October 2015 – 14 February 2016
With its large collection of Indian paintings and numerous international exhibition projects,
Museum Rietberg is one of the world’s leading institutions in this field. Thanks to a permanent
loan of 22 superb works, the museum has recently acquired an extremely important addition to
its holdings of paintings produced under the Muslim Mughal emperors. Mughal painting, which
combines influences from Persia, Central Asia and India, forms the core of the present
exhibition. The images, painted in exquisite detail using brilliantly coloured pigments, are among
the artistic highlights of Mughal rule and provide an impression of the splendour of the Mughal
court.
When Babur, the grandfather of Emperor Akbar, first set foot on the Indian subcontinent in 1519, this
marked the beginning of the long period of Mughal rule over large parts of North India. The Mughals,
who claimed to be descendants of the conquerors Timur and Genghis Khan, subsequently amassed
incredible power, and the prosperity generated by the country’s many natural resources enabled them
to patronise the arts. Alongside the magnificent architecture of the foreign rulers from Central Asia, such
as the Taj Mahal in Agra, artists working in the imperial workshops also produced paintings for
manuscripts and albums. The collection shown in this exhibition brings together representative
examples from the eras of the three great Mughal emperors (Akbar, Jahangir and Shahjahan) and works
from the late Mughal period, which have received more attention from researchers in recent years.
Imperial Patronage of Painting
Babur (r. 1526–1530), India’s first Mughal emperor, was regarded as extremely cultivated, but there is
no evidence that he was a particular patron of painting. That changed under his son Humayun (r. 1530–
1556), who is himself reputed to have been a painter. Having been driven out of India by the Pashtuns
following his enthronement, he visited the Regent Shah Tahmasp at the Safavid court in Isfahan where
he saw outstanding examples of Persian painting. He brought a number of painters back to India with
him, but died within a year of his return.
The stylistic and organisational foundations for Mughal painting were laid under his successor, Akbar
the Great (r. 1556–1605). In this early phase the émigré Persian artists led the way, recruiting and
instructing local painters and supervising the execution of the first major illumination projects.
Mughal painting was not simply a continuation of the Safavid tradition, however. India already had a
centuries-old tradition of Buddhist and Jain illuminated manuscripts patronised by the Sultan rulers who
preceded the Mughals. These also played a role in the evolution of Mughal painting.
Open-Minded Mughal Rulers
Alongside traditional Persian literature and poetry, a large volume of new texts was translated into
Persian during Akbar’s reign and richly illustrated. These texts included collections of fables, Hindu texts
like the Ramayana and even the life of Christ, testifying to the open-mindedness of the foreign rulers.
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The Mughal dynasty also invested significant resources in copying and illustrating historic texts, Babur’s
autobiography and the chronicle of Akbar’s rule being two of the most important examples.
New Clients
Having originated in the sixteenth century, the art of portraiture reached its acme under Akbar’s
successors. As well as rather pompous portraits of rulers, princes and courtiers that testify to the artists’
canny powers of observation, these paintings included likenesses of local rulers and religious figures.
The size of the imperial workshops was reduced by Jahangir, Akbar’s son, and became smaller still
under Emperor Shahjahan (r. 1627–1658). Initially, at least, this did not have a detrimental effect on the
quality of the paintings. In the medium term, however, the erosion of court patronage meant that many
painters had to find new clients. Governors, high-ranking officials and Rajasthan princes became the
new patrons of the arts. The consequence was a new, more broad-ranging repertoire of painting that
blended local traditions with the subject matter in which the new clients were interested. Even before
that paintings had often been acquired as gifts or the spoils of war and subsequently served as a source
of inspiration for local painters.
Exhibition
The exhibition at Museum Rietberg is divided into six sections:
Imperial Biographies – It was considered extremely important to produce illustrated copies of the
imperial biographies, such as Babur’s memoirs, the first autobiography in the Islamic world. These were
followed by further biographies in journal form, such as those of Akbar and Shahjahan. The most
important events from these historical works were illustrated by the painters.
Foreign and Native Themes – Poetic, literary and religious material that had been handed down from
Persia, India and Europe was recorded in written form and illustrated. Works such as the Persian heroic
epic Shahnama (The Book of Kings) or the famous and highly entertaining Tales of a Parrot thus
achieved prominence, once again showing the open-minded attitude of Mughal rule under Akbar.
Life at Court – The paintings depicted audiences, hunting expeditions, picnics and harem scenes.
Given the liberal attitude to religion, the depictions not only of princes reading poetry but also of
Europeans who were regular visitors to the court is not surprising.
Albums in Book Form – In the early Akbar period illustrations could as a rule be found in bound
manuscripts, although these have since been taken apart and scattered. Later, however, albums
became established as a popular format for presenting paintings. The so-called muraqqa’ (meaning
“patched”) included paintings, calligraphies and drawings mounted on double-sided folios. The works
(both historic and contemporary) were of different dimensions, so their decorated borders were a very
important element.
Portraits – The portraits of dignitaries produced at the court were intended to “breathe new life” into
their deceased subjects or promise them immortality if they were still alive. For all the official character
of the works shown here, the Mughal portraits are sensitive and convincingly realistic representations
that capture the physiognomy of their subjects almost like photographs.
The Artistic Response – The decline of court patronage of the arts made life more difficult for the artists
concerned, yet this was an interesting period from an art historical point of view. Akbar’s legacy
prompted an artistic response not only in Awadh ruled by powerful Nawabs, but all over the country.
Both the format of Indian paintings and the context in which they were produced and received were
conducive to artistic exchange. Paintings or albums changed hands as part of dowries or as gifts or else
found new homes in the wake of military campaigns.
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In addition to the exhibits themselves, the exhibition also includes a section showing the painting
techniques and materials used. A projection of the magnificent architecture of the Mughal period rounds
off the show.
Exhibition website: www.rietberg.ch/akbar_en
Parallel Exhibition at Park-Villa Rieter
Running concurrently with the exhibition Akbar’s Golden Legacy – Paintings for India’s Emperors, the
exhibition Another World will be on display at the Park-Villa Rieter. 60 additional Indian paintings will
provide insights into popular painting and into the artistic traditions of Malwa, Rajasthan and the Pahari
region.
Events
You can find all information about the events
www.rietberg.ch/akbar_en and www.rietberg.ch/agenda.
accompanying
the
exhibition
under
Tours and workshops of the exhibition
Public guided tours (free in combination with an entrance ticket) in German will be available:
Sat 2pm
Private tours in English
For further information and online bookings please visit www.rietberg.ch/fuehrungen
Art education
All workshops for schools and for everyone accompanying the exhibition are to be found under
www.rietberg.ch/kunstvermittlung (in German).
Information and contact
Information, texts and images for downloading at www.rietberg.ch/media
Museum Rietberg Zürich
Gablerstrasse 15
CH-8002 Zürich
Tel. +41 44 415 31 31 | Fax +41 44 415 31 32
www.rietberg.ch
[email protected]
Opening hours: Tue to Sun 10 am – 5 pm | Wed 10 am – 8 pm
Admission:
Exhibition: Adults CHF 18 | Concession rate CHF 14
Free admission for young people aged 16 and under
How to reach us:
Tram No. 7 in the direction of Wollishofen. Alight at the Museum Rietberg stop (4 stops from
Paradeplatz). No parking available (except for disabled visitors).
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