Description
Muslim emperors and other connoisseurs in India collected images of the Virgin Mary and Jesus inspired by European models. Pictures of Mary and Jesus resonated with Muslims: Islam regards Jesus as a prophet, and an entire chapter of the Qur’an is dedicated to Mary, extolling her as an ideal woman. Indian artists began experimenting with European artistic techniques during the late 16th century, when Europeans, Jesuit missionaries in particular, brought religious prints and paintings to the Mughal court and taught royal artists European techniques, such as shading to create the illusion of three-dimensionality, demonstrated here in the flowing drapery of Mary’s blue cloak.
Results
