The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence

The Great Mughals,V&A

This major exhibition will celebrate the extraordinary creative output and internationalist culture of the Golden Age of the Mughal Court (about 1560 – 1660) during the reigns of its most famous emperors: Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan.

The Mughal dynasty was founded in 1526 by Babur, a Timurid prince and ruler from Central Asia. At its peak it was one of the wealthiest and most progressive empires in the world, and extended from Kabul in present-day Afghanistan, to the borders of the Deccan sultanates in the south of the subcontinent, and from Gujarat in the west to present-day Bangladesh in the east.

The exhibition will showcase over 200 objects across three sections spanning the reigns of Emperors Akbar (r.1556-1605) Jahangir (r.1605-1627) and Shah Jahan (r.1628-1658) and will celebrate the craftsmanship and creativity of their court workshops. Rarely shown paintings and illustrated manuscripts not seen for a generation will be on display alongside delicate textiles, brilliantly coloured carpets and fine objects made of mother of pearl, rock crystal, jade and precious metals.

A particular focus of the exhibition will be to examine the extraordinary hybrid art created in the imperial workshops by Iranian and Hindustani artists and craftsmen working in the Persian-speaking court and producing work of exceptional quality. It will explore the influence of European art brought to the court by Christian missionaries, foreign ambassadors, and merchants.

Duration 09 November 2024 - 05 May 2025
Times daily 10.00–17.45 Friday until 22.00
Cost £22
Venue V&A
Address Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL
Contact / vanda@vam.ac.uk / www.vam.ac.uk

Tags

,