Says Susan Stronge, Senior Curator at London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). Stronge's new book reveals the unbelievable grandeur of Mughal art under Emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, holding within its pages some never-seen-before images

If Susan Stronge lived in the Mughal era, she would have liked to bump into Emperor Akbar. She should know who'd make the most interesting acquaintance. After all, Stronge, a Senior Curator at the Victoria & Albert's Asian Department, specialises in court art of the Indian subcontinent. Stronge has written three related worksu00a0-- The Art of the Sikh Kingdom (V&A, 1999), Painting for the Mughal Emperor (V&A, 2002) and Tipu's Tigers (2009).

Pic/Bipin Kokate

In Mumbai last week to release Made for Mughal Emperors: Royal Treasures from Hindustan, Stronge was getting used to the buzz surrounding itu00a0-- "the media here hypes book releases, unlike back home in London," Stronge confessed, while settling for a chat about Akbar's Hindu artisans, Shah Jahan's sublime style and the mysterious Jahangir.

Was this book a natural progression, based on your familiarity with court art?
It pulls together different strands of work from over 30 years. My book (Paintings for the Mughal Emperor) focused on the Mughal era's decorative arts, jewellery and its thrones. All of it was fed into this book. I was interested in understanding the inter-relationship of various arts.

You speak of a versatility of artists who created Mughal art, and of the tremendous European influence.
Yes, it's all very fascinating. The head of goldsmiths in Jahangir's court was an Iranian poet called Sa'ida. He was a master in jade and a calligrapher too. Those who came from Iran wanted to get inducted into the royal service. Akbar discovered talent while travelling across the Indian countryside. Portuguese and English influences were welcomed and immediately absorbed into Mughal paintings.

What was your biggest challenge?
Roli Books' Pramod Kapoor sailed the idea in late 2007. I had complete freedom. They were ready to invest that kind of money, particularly to acquire rare photographs. Procuring reprints from American museums can be expensive. But it was writing the book that was the biggest challenge. If I was unable to source an image, the text had to be altered. Sourcing photographs from across the globe, especially museums in Iran and St Petersburg was tough; some prints have never been seen outside Iran.

What relationship did the Emperors share with their artists and craftsmen?
The sense you get is that of high regard and involvement. When Englishman Sir Thomas Roe visited Jahangir's court with European art, the Emperor called on his chief painter for an opinion. They were free to express their views. Most painters, especially in Akbar's reign, were Hindu. There were Indian Muslims too. When Hindu artists illustrated Sanskrit texts for Akbar, the style was the same as modern Mughal styles.

Which of the three emperors was the most artistically evolved?
Akbar operated on a huge scale. The paradox was that he was illiterate. Jahangir's contribution was personal and localised; he was a connoisseur. Shah Jahan was recognised for his monuments that overshadowed his contribution to painting. He was a connoisseur of gems; this feeds into decorative elements in his monuments too. His style was sublime. I believe Jahangir was the most advanced. I hope to analyse his memoirs and correlate it to art in my next book.

What is the West's view of Mughal art?
It's limited to the Taj Mahal. Highly educated people haven't heard of Jahangir. There are notions of opulence and splendour related to Mughal jewellery, and some awareness about textiles but there exists a total lack of awareness about Mughal objects. That's what this book hopes to plug.

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