Special Exhibitions
Jeweled Arts of India
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Special Exhibitions |
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Jeweled Arts of India |
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The Mughal Empire In 1526 the Delhi Sultanate, ruled at the time by the Lodi dynasty, was conquered by Prince Babur, who established himself as the first "Mughal" emperor. Babur was born in Central Asia, a descendant of Timur (known in the West as Tamerlane) and Genghis Khan. His son and successor, Humayun, after a ten-year reign, was driven out by Shir Shah Sur (leader of the Afghan commanders in northern India), whose line ruled for fifteen years. Humayun was, however, able in 1555 to return from his exile in Iran and re-establish himself at Delhi, after which the Mughals' rule lasted officially until the last emperor, Bahdur Shah, was deposed by the British in 1857.It was particularly in the reigns of Humayun's son, Akbar, and his two successors, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, that a hundred-year-long period of might and glory (1556-1657) established the everlasting fame of the 'Great Moguls'. They were fabled in the West at the time, and no richer or more distinguished connoisseurs have drawn breath; however they should not be seen in isolation, but as a part of a general and ages-long pattern in the South Asian Subcontinent, which had been the fabulously wealthy East since the time of the Greeks and Romans. India was blessed as the only significant source of diamonds before their discovery in Brazil in the 18th century, and she was also made rich by her spices; but more than any other resource, it was her art industries (most especially textiles, but also including a whole array of specialized and sophisticated products) which she traded for the gold and silver that poured in by the ton. Page 1 of 4 | On the next page: Related Special Exhibitions |
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