The Indian Portrait 1560–1860

This book tells the story of the development of portrait-painting within the vast body of Indian painting from the 16th to 19th century. From its beginning under the Mughal ruler Humayun and his successor Akbar, portraiture progressed to the Hindu courts of Rajasthan and the Punjab Hills, as well as to the Islamic kingdoms of the Deccan further south. During the period of the British rule in the 18th and 19th centuries portraits by Indian artists reached remarkable levels of skill and virtuosity.

Different regions and periods produced strikingly varied styles of portraiture, which are discussed in essays and plate captions. Some of these are among the most celebrated of all Indian works of art, while other are new discoveries that shed further light on this fascinating aspect of Indian painting.