Faces of God: images of devotion in Indo-Muslim painting, 1500-1800

Abstract

"Islamic art is often misrepresented as an iconophobic tradition. As a result of this assumption, the polyvalence of figural artworks made for South Asian Muslim audiences has remained hidden in plain view. This book situates manuscript illustrations and album paintings within cultures of devotion and ritual shaped by Islamic intellectual and religious histories. Central to this story are the Mughal siblings, Jahanara Begum and Dara Shikoh, and their Sufi guide Mulla Shah. Through detailed art historical analysis supported by new translations, this study contextualizes artworks made for Indo-Muslim patrons by putting them into direct dialogue with written testimonies."-- Back cover.

Contents

Introduction: The Need for an Ontology of Art -- Viewing the Face of a God's Friend: Conceptual and Literary Premises -- Sufi in the Garb of a Yogi: Visual and Literary Articulations of Sanctity -- Allegories, Symbols, and the "Marvelous Magic" of Imperial Mughal Painting -- "I Saw My Lord in the Form of a Beardless Youth" -- The Face of Shah ... The Face of God -- Sacred Viewing: Miraculous Gatherings and Iconic Portraits.