Cathy's Art Diary

Opulent exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum which looked at the golden age of Mughal art which lasted from about 1580 to 1650. The show was clearly described and included a fabulous selection of art and objects which were beautifully displayed. I loved the way dramatic large carpets were used both as exhibits and as feature walls in some of the spaces. I love the small Mughal paintings which remind me of Medieval illuminations. As these are small, they did create some bottle necks but showing them around the edge of rooms with objects in the centre helped the flow. There were some stunning items such as these enamel dishes, a beautiful selection of jewels, a shield which was in the armory of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de Medici in Florence and some fabulous rock crystal. As this is the same period as lot of the Western Renaissance art I study, I couldn’t help but make comparisons. I was interested to see mention of where the art was influenced by Western prints or where ...

Interesting exhibition at the Wallace Collection looking at the life of the 19th century ruler of the Punjab, Ranjit Singh. Using contemporary paintings and objects, many owned by Singh, they clearly told his story from starting to rule at 21 to building a cosmopolitan, cultured empire despite threats from the Britain, Russia and Afghanistan. The basis for the show being at the museum was its collection of contemporary armour much of it associated with Singh. I must admit I found that quite hard to relate to albeit that much of it was very beautiful. I loved the use of exquisite miniatures to illustrate a lot of the points. I am very fond of that type of jewel like Indian painting. I particularly liked an intricate picture of his court. There was a section on how he attracted Europeans to his court and to fight in his armies including a number of Napoleon’s former generals. There were good portraits of them including a lovely drawing by Landseer. The most intriguing pieces w...

Interesting display at the Wallace Collection featuring superb Murgal sword to complement their Forgotten Masters exhibition. The sword was made by Muhammed Baqir Moshhadi known for a handful to top class blades. There are four known identical swords in this pattern which featured dragon headed guards. It was made for Safdar Jan, a Turco-Iranian First Minister of the Murgal Emperor. The design shows Indian and Iranian influences. It was hard to see the enamel design on the scabbard but there was useful enlargement of it next to the sword. The dragon head design had an almost Anglo-Saxon feel to it.

Sumptuous exhibition at the British Library looking at the history and culture of the Mughal emperors which ruled from the 16th to the 19th century in India and South Asia. There were some exquisite objects and books on display and the whole thing was very rich on the eye. I knew nothing about this period so needed explanations but was almost overwhelmed by the amount of information given. I think if I had read everything careful I would have been there for hours! But there again I wanted more information in places as I would have been interested to know if there was any link with western art as some of the illuminated manuscripts used similar ideas of the western ones. Then I must remember it was more of a history exhibition than an art one. Stand out items included a beautiful small study of the head of Akbar. I loved the idea of an instructional poem for pigeon fanciers with sweet illustrations. I also liked a route map on a scroll which shows a journey including p...