Garden & Cosmos, the Royal Paintings of Jodhpur
Review of Book Published to Accompany Exhibition at British Museum
Jun 1, 2009
Garden & Cosmos, the Royal Paintings of Jodhpur (British Museum Press, 2009) has been published to accompany the British Museum's exhibition of the same name (28th May to 23rd August 2009). The publication offers a valuable introduction to the art of the Jodhpur region between 1725 and 1853.
Printed on heavy-weight paper the book contains 270 illustrations, of which 170 are in full colour. Each painting is accompanied by several enlargements providing an opportunity to closely examine every minute detail.
'Garden' and 'Cosmos' – Metaphors for Different Styles
The terms 'Garden' and 'Cosmos' are metaphors for two very different trends in the paintings from this region. 'Garden' includes the paintings that depict life in the royal palaces, extravagant parties in lush flowering gardens and pavilions, or scenes from the epic Indian poems such as the Ramayana. In 'Cosmos' the paintings depict philosophical speculation on matters such as the creation of the universe.
Garden & Cosmos explores these two distinct strands. Every image comes with a detailed analysis by the authors who have described and dated each painting and identified the personages therein. Readers will get a real insight in court life of the period. The authors also discuss the patrons' attitude to art and how artists adopted different techniques to represent the aesthetic desires of the rulers of Jodhpur between the 17th and mid-19th Centuries.
Garden & Cosmos – Structure of the Catalogue
The publication is divided into three sections. The first contains a series of essays investigating various ideas as follows:
- The Rathores of Jodhpur-Marwar. Karni Singh Jasol, discusses the history of the Rathores and so sets the context for the rest of the publication.
- Becoming Rajput. Jason Freitag examines the social, political and cultural stance of the rulers of Jodhpur.
- Rathore and Mughal Interactions. Catherine Glynn looks at the artistic development at the Nagaur Court between 1600 and 1751.
- Maharaja Vijai Singh and the Epic Landscape, 1752-1793. Debra Diamond tells the reader about the development of art during the reign of Maharaja Vijai Singh.
- Paintings, Politics and Devotion. Diamond examines the life of Maharaja Man Singh (r. 1803-43) and his support for the Nath yogis, a sectarian order. During his reign Man Singh commissioned more than 1,000 paintings portraying metaphysical concepts such as the creation of the universe. Diamond shows how artists demonstrated their versatility and developed new techniques to cope with his demands.
- Monumental Manuscripts at the Jodhpur Court. Diamond investigates how painting workshops were organised during Vijai Singh's reign. She also discusses Man Singh's patronage of the arts and the development of large-format paintings during his reign.
The second part of the catalogue presents the artwork in seven chapters. Each opens with a short explanation and the titles are self-explanatory:
- Origins of Jodhpur Court Painting
- Royal Pastimes in the Gardens at Nagaur Palace
- Gardens for Divine Play
- Maharaja Man Singh and the Naths
- Origins of the Cosmos
- Sacred Sites and Cosmic Oceans
The third section is a Reference Catalogue containing additional information, such as translations of inscriptions on the paintings, a chronology of Marwar Rulers, a glossary of terms, notes on the essays, and photo credits. A bibliography offers further reading for those wishing to explore the subject further.
Cosmos & Gardens – About the Authors
- Debra Diamond is associate aurator of South and Southeast Asian Art, Free Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
- Karni Singh Jasol is curator of the Mehrangarh Fort Museum Jodhpur. Catherine Glynn is a lecturer at Northwestern University and UCLA, as well as an independent scholar and curator.
- Jason Freitag is assistant professor of history at Ithaca College.
- Rahul Jain is a textile historian who is currently catalogue the textile collection at the Mahrangarh Museum Trust.
Garden & Cosmos, the Royal Paintings of Jodhpur is fascinating and informative. The 337-page catalogue is published by the British Museum Press (2009), priced £30.00, (ISBN 978 0 7141 2458 2).
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