Saturday, November 12
10:00 a.m.–noon PT
Speaker: Yael Rice, Associate Professor of the History of Art and Asian Languages & Civilizations, Amherst College
Virtual Event
During the 1650s, the Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–69) executed a small number of drawings in ink inspired by Indian paintings on paper. Just how he encountered these materials remains a scholarly debate; what is readily evident is that the Indian paintings which Rembrandt studied had been originally produced on the Indian subcontinent for inclusion in albums. Elites from both the Mughal and Deccani courts patronized the production of albums, known muraqqa (meaning “patched” in Arabic), which are codex assemblages containing choice paintings, drawings, calligraphies, and, on occasion, European prints. This talk will consider how and why albums were patronized and, ultimately, circulated to Europe a short time after their completion. It will also examine the various ways that Mughal artists had responded to European art many decades before Rembrandt produced his own cross-cultural studies. This presentation will draw upon key findings from the recent 2018 Getty exhibition “Rembrandt and the Inspiration of India” and accompanying catalogue, to which the speaker was a contributor.
Please reserve your spot by clicking on this link. All participants will be sent the Zoom link and instructions via email once you secure your place. Space is limited.
Free for active South Asian Arts Council (renewed for 2022-2023) and SDMA members | $10 for all others
Sponsored by the South Asian Arts Council.
Featured at top right: Rembrandt van Rijn, Shah Jahan, 1656-1661. Pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash. Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1978.3. Cleveland Museum of Art.
