Royal Tombs of India, the first book of its kind on the Islamic royal tombs of India, focuses on the Tughluq and Lodi tombs, Qutb Shahi tombs and Mughal tombs (Humayun, Akbar, Aurangzeb, Jahangir and Nur Jahan, Bibi-ka-Maqbara, and the Taj Mahal). It also discusses the controversy surrounding the location of Babur’s tomb. The tombs are described in the broader historical and architectural context of the reign of Tughluq, Lodi, Qutb Shahi and Mughal dynasties. It traces the history of royal tombs, from the ancient Egyptian pyramids, the Greek/Roman mausoleums and the Chinese royal tombs to the Islamic tombs of Central Asia, Pakistan and India. It also analyses the different characteristics of pre-Mughal and Mughal architecture and how it was influenced by Persian and Indian architecture. The royal tombs of pre-Mughal sultans (Slave, Khalji and Tughluq), Qutb Shahi kings and Mughal emperors are also discussed.
The first to describe in detail a community of potters working for the Jagannatha Temple in Puri, eastern India, Temple Potters of Puri explores the role of the temple servant and how it affects the potters’ understanding of their work and of themselves. As a pilgrimage center of national importance, supported by the patronage of successive regional dynasties and by fervent popular belief, the Jagannatha Temple requires earthenware in great quantities for the creation and distribution of the sacred food that is an integral feature of daily ritual and pilgrimage. Several hundred potters participate as temple servants in maintaining the temple’s ritual cycle by performing their divinely assigned task. This study observes the potters’ technical prowess, sustained by devotion, but also examines the tensions within their relationships to more powerful temple servants and authorities. The role of the potter as temple servant is at once glorious, as demonstrated by texts and personal interpretations of the potters’ divinely-appointed service, and pathetic, as shown in the brutality of caste-based hierarchy and cash-based exchange penetrating the modern temple’s daily operations. The accompanying DVD shows the potters at work and records their skills and products as well as the annual festival that celebrates their role as temple servants.
Treasures of the Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur catalogues a selection of the marvelous artworks on display at Albert Hall, Jaipur. Envisioned by Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II of Jaipur and executed by his successor Sawai Madhao Rao Singh II, to preserve the heritage of local arts and crafts, it was designed and built in 1897 by Thomas Holbein Hendley. The 19,000 artworks of the museum include pottery, stonework, woodwork, arms and armour, sculpture, jewelry, musical instruments, coins and seals, carpets and miniature paintings. Some of the best artworks and architectural features of the museum are produced in this book along with concise text.
Science and Art are both manifestations of beauty and creativity. As mankind has evolved and as science has progressed, artistic creations by humans have become more abstract-like mathematics, which is the abstraction of all sciences. The authors of this unusual work postulate some critical ideas on science, art and aesthetics, and establish that we need both, a scientific temper and the temper of art.
The eight theses that relate to science and art, and their rationale presented in this book are a culmination of observations, conversations, readings, ideas exchanged, and thoughts that span a journey of six decades. The accompanying DVD is a reproduction of two shows held in Hyderabad of MF Husain’s 25 paintings on some of the most important events of the last century with their description as written by Bhargava. The CD records the music Susumo Ohno, an American geneticist, created by converting the language of DNA into the language of music.
Threads of Time is a journey around the world through the medium of textiles. In many communities, cultural heritage and traditions have been handed down through generations by textile artisans. Their beliefs, history, ceremonies, and traditions have been woven into cloth with meaning and purpose sometimes lasting thousands of years. Textiles are special in that they can create narratives that are personal as well as eminently portable.
The pages of Threads of Time illustrate exquisite textiles with location photography, from historical examples of centuries past to extraordinary contemporary expressions, revealing a continuum of inspiration and beauty. The 16 chapters, covering regions from across the globe, feature contributions from local textile makers and experts, bringing together over 30 voices to tell stories of cloth.
Locations explored include: Indonesia, China, Vietnam and Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, Bhutan, Nagaland, Punjab, Egypt and Palestine, The Caucasus, Turkey, Madagascar, Tunisia, Ghana, Peru and Guatemala, Navajo Nation.
Jan Morris’s only artwork – a two meter long panorama of Venice drawn in 1966, published to mark Jan Morris’s centenary. Printed full size as a fold out facsimile, limited edition.
Jan Morris (1926-2020) was one of the great writers, travelers, journalists and historians of the 20th century, perhaps best known for Venice, Pax Britannica and Conundrum.
Visions of Paradise: American Wilderness is a singular, timeless publication — a photographic tour de force celebrating the extraordinary majesty and rich legacy of America’s wild places, as seen through the eyes of one of the country’s foremost wilderness photographers, Jon Ortner, and conveyed through the transcendent medium of black-and-white film. Ortner has always been fascinated with the natural world, particularly as an avid hiker in the American wilderness. This luxurious book collects in a large format his inspiring landscape images, forming a passionate tribute to the American wilderness. In this sensational portfolio of 200 black-and-white images, Ortner has rediscovered and reinterpreted the compelling beauty of many of his most cherished wilderness locations with remarkable portrayals of their sublime, dramatic, tranquil, and transcendent aspects. Join Ortner as he guides us through his visions of paradise.
Signed, numbered special edition, slip cased, with signed landscape print (measuring 28 x 23 mm), and limited to 200 copies.
Tracing human interactions with the world’s most famous tropical timber species, The Social Life of Teak maps worlds revolving around teak forests, trees and wood.
What gives Tectona grandis such a powerful aura, stoking desires and capturing imaginations? How has teak shaped people’s lives, driving fortunes and impacting futures? What has happened to the teak forests and what is their destiny?
In this illustrated anthology of oral histories, people connected personally or professionally to teak speak of survival, change and learning, creativity and destruction, growth and demise. Woven together, these experiences bring to light the ways that teak has been sought, crafted, cultivated, traded and prized over time.
Animist beliefs, creative expression, scientific invention, economic viability, imperialist expansion, peak luxury, violent repression, ecological disaster and the regenerative power of nature all find a home in this global intergenerational tale.
Charting the domestication of wilderness and exposing the era of extinction of a feted natural resource, this book seeks to stimulate conversations about our role as nature’s most troublesome offspring.
The largest maps in the world are to be found in the floor of the Citizens’ Hall, in the heart of the Royal Palace Amsterdam. The three circular mosaics, each measuring over six metres in diameter, together depict the known world and the night sky. They remain to this day an iconic and beloved part of the majestic palace, which was originally built in the mid-17th century to serve as Amsterdam’s town hall. At that time, the city was the world’s leading cartography centre. The prominent place of the floor maps relates directly to that primacy. This book tells the story of these unique maps and of the flourishing of cartography in Amsterdam in the 17th and 18th centuries.
A Shepherd’s Life centres on Jenny Armstrong, born in 1903 at the farm of Fairliehope, who spent her life working as a shepherdess in the Pentland Hills. In a series of remarkable paintings made over twenty years and based on close observation, Victoria Crowe, one of Scotland’s foremost painters, pays tribute to the life and work of this exceptional woman. In spite of their different ages and backgrounds, the two women came to value each other’s company and it was through the shepherdess that the artist learned how to interpret the surrounding landscape. At the same time the paintings depict an ancient way of living that has been long in the decline and which, at the start of a new millennium, may be finally disappearing.
The book describes the legends and history of each of the beads, their importance, folklores on them, use, price, and so on. The oral history, gender questions, social dynamics, and even inter- as well as intra-tribal relationships of the tribes have been described in detail in the book. The tradition of beads has been imbedded in the lives of the people of north-east from time immemorial. The continuing popularity of beads has led to manufacture of spurious products. Despite the onslaught of globalization even in rural areas, the popularity of beads has not diminished among the people. Beads are also used as a bartering item and usually take the place of money even now. The book describes the economic, cultural, and ritual significance of beads; their historical relation to migration; and popular beliefs, classification mechanism, and ethnic specifications of beads.
Contents: Preface; Introduction; Diversity of Beads; Folklore and Beads; Trade; Beads and Gender; Beads and the Emerging Realities; Beliefs, Utility, and Values of Beads; Conclusions; Bibliography; Acknowledgements; Index.
Step back in time to the captivating world of 16th-century Europe with this compelling portrait of Margaret of Parma, governor of the Netherlands for Philip II of Spain, and a woman who left an indelible mark on history. Through vivid storytelling and meticulous research, this book delves into the life and legacy of Margaret, shedding light on her influence and contributions to the tumultuous political landscape of her era. From exhilarating falcon hunts to lavish feasts, intricate etiquette, and the complexities of dress codes, readers are transported to a time of opulence and intrigue. With profound reflections on customs and traditions, this captivating narrative offers a rich tapestry of life in the Renaissance court.
Within the possibilities of her role, she tried to prevent war and bloodshed. Religious conflicts would divide Europe for more than another century. Margaret of Parma’s story is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Throughout its century of existence, every moment of Le Mans has been captured in countless photographs. From black & white to color, these particularly vivid images bring to life a whole world: that of the cars, naturally, but also of the many human players – drivers, engineers, mechanics – and the public, always numerous and varied.
The authors summarize the moments and actions of the key characters, identifying five major periods:
1923-1929: The time of the pioneers
1930-1967: Reconstruction and globalization
1968-1981: In search of the right solution
1982-1999: The 21st century in sight
2000-2022: A Modern Race
Text in English and French.
The talented printmaker and Royal Academician Chris Orr turns his humorous gaze on some of the most famous – and fabulous – artists of the past. With over 30 new works, accompanied by Orr’s captions, artists from Edward Hopper to Pablo Picasso find themselves in weird and wonderful situations. Edvard Munch holidays at the seaside, John Constable RA is disturbed at his easel by frolicking nudists and an unfortunate incident occurs in Barbara Hepworth’s studio… No one can escape Orr’s imagination: Walter Sickert is distracted from a spread-eagled model by a fly in his soup, Dame Laura Knight RA is caught shoplifting, and Frida Kahlo enjoys a fry-up. Each image is packed with detail to pore over, and the book concludes with notes from the artist, ‘Notes from the Cages’, accompanied by preparatory drawings for the finished work. This new collection, published to coincide with an exhibition of Orr’s works at the Royal Academy, is a delightful fantasy, which affectionately pokes fun at well-loved artists.
This book about miniature painting at the Bundelkhand royal courts of Orchha, Datia, and Panna is the first to admit an understanding of the works that two fatal misconceptions regarding their time and place of origin have hitherto thwarted. The miniature school of Bundelkhand that first developed at Orchha was the earliest and most Indian of all the Rajput schools and at the time of its founding the only one to practice a purely indigenous style of painting, “untainted” by the naturalism of imperial Mughal painting. The author’s interpretations and stylistic analyses of over 240 paintings from his collection, many of them published here for the first time, shed light on the school’s development from the late 16th century to the early days of British rule.
The book also introduces readers to the conceptual world of Rajput miniature painting and the rasa aesthetic that anticipates the modern reception aesthetic. Origins of Orchha Painting, the first volume of the series Orchha, Datia, Panna: Miniatures from the Royal Courts of Bundelkhand (1590–1850), deals with the founding period of Orchha painting, the years 1590–1605, and how it derived from pre-Mughal Early Rajput painting, which flourished at the Tomar court of Gwalior from around 1460 until the downfall of the Hindu kingdom in 1518. The subsequent volumes, Stylistic Trends in Bundelkhand Painting, analyze how this Rajput school developed during the period 1605–1635 and spread to Datia after the disintegration of Orchha in 1635 and later to Panna, the Bundela state of Chattrasal, in the 1680s. Bundelkhand painting ended with Chattrasal’s death in 1731, and it was only after a long interruption, in the beginning of the 19th century, that the school experienced an Indian summer at the court of Datia during the period of British suzerainty.
Shah Rukh Khan is many things: a villain, an anti-hero, a romantic hero, a heart-throb, and a superstar. Khan burst onto the big screen in 1992 as a character-actor who gave even the most reprehensible villains depth. The accolades he won allowed him to take on a plethora of more adventurous roles, proving his versatility and skill to the world of Indian cinema, but also establishing him as a celebrity icon. This book, containing essays from some of Khan’s closest coworkers, offers an intimate and honest picture of SRK the actor and Shah Rukh the man.
SRK – 25 Years of a Life looks at Shah Rukh through the eyes of the directors who transformed him into each of his unforgettable roles. It shows the creation of a living legend, tracing Khan from his early days to his current position at the pinnacle of the Bollywood casting lists. As well as offering an insight into Khan’s life that will entrance any dedicated fan, this book is designed to please the eye; its many illustrations are inspired by Bollywood’s hand-painted film posters, reminiscent of the iconic portraits that first revealed SRK’s characters. SRK writes that he hasn’t had time for introspection, and does not dwell on the details of his successes and failures. However, this book puts everything that needs to be known about SRK within the reader’s grasp. With its stark and unembellished accounts of SRK’s personal and professional life, it provides a unique window of insight into this legandary man.
Empirical evidence is scant and scattered. Between these fragments, historians have filled the voids with legends. Though legends are not evidence per se, they do carry a seed of truth – and hopefully, their incorporation in this volume will inspire new interest in the mystery of the world’s greatest temples. The engineering techniques that allowed ancient civilizations to construct such marvellous edifices have been lost to us for generations. Unfortunately, they have not received the attention they deserve, as relics of human culture and faith. This is especially true for Konark. In The Sun Temple of Konark, the author attempts to separate chaff from grain, utilizing scientific tools and methodologies. The Sun Temple has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is considered one of the seven wonders of India. This seminal volume is the result of extensive research by the author into not only the history and legends related to the temple, but also the temple structure itself. An engineer and architect by profession, the author examines the temple in great detail. He questions several of the established theories regarding construction in its various stages and forwards his own theories with reasonable conviction. He takes great pains to go into as much detail as possible with regard to each and every portion, monument, and sculpture of the temple. With 415 images and 21 detailed architectural drawings, the book is a treasure trove for any admirer or student of Konark, or a researcher of its art, history, and architecture.
This volume highlights the treasures of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, and houses a world-class collection of art objects. It is categorized primarily into three sections: Art, Archaeology and Natural History. The Museum has some fine and rare collections featuring ancient Indus Valley artifacts that date back to 3000 BC as well as relics from the Maurya and Gupta period (320 BC AD 800). The Indian Miniature Painting Gallery houses art treasures from almost every significant school of miniature painting.
This book highlights the treasures of the extraordinary personal collection of the Salar Jung family. The Indian Art section focuses on ancient sculptures of the Andhra region and representative paintings of the medieval period. The ‘Asian Art’ section includes a few exceptional pieces of ceramic and other arts from China and Japan. The ‘European Art’ segment includes various pieces of art for which the Museum is famous such as the ‘Veiled Rebecca’ and oil and watercolor paintings by English, French and Dutch artists, apart from several other rare European pieces. ‘In the Palace’ has furniture and household collection of glass and ceramics from around the world. The ‘Arms Collection’ of the Museum has treasured items including weapons belonging to Mughal emperors such as Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.
With concrete examples from healthcare, education, finance and HR, this book demonstrates how humans and technology can reinforce one another. Practical tools such as the ‘Humanity Check’ help you assess AI on autonomy, connection and meaning. It becomes clear that AI can be an ally in fostering personal growth and societal progress. It invites managers, innovators and policymakers to engage in the most important conversation of the next decade: how humans and AI can enrich one another.
Welcome to the world of 2051 through the eyes of digital marketing pioneers from around the world: engineers, developers, designers, writers and analysts who closely follow tech trends. With their finely honed intuition for user experience and a passion for technology, the authors boldly predict life 30 years from now through a collection of fascinating, futuristic, stories.
Hideo Sasaki (1919-2000) believed that large, complex problems of planning and design required teams of professionals from planning, urban design, landscape architecture and architecture, all working together. Over a period of some 30 years the story of the firm that Sasaki founded and the offices that have subsequently developed from that firm constitutes an important chapter in the history of the profession.
From its foundation in 1948, the state of Israel has felt isolated and under threat from enemies. This collective siege mentality manifests itself with over 1 million public and private shelters. The Israelis have integrated these ‘Doomsday spaces’ into their everyday life and transformed them into spaces that look like normal dance studios, bars or temples. For many people in Israel who live with a personal history of exile and persecution, these shelters are the architecture of an existential threat both real and perceived. Adam Reynolds shot the images in this book over the course of three years, from 2013 to 2015. The photographs offer a broad cultural and geographical typology of the shelter spaces by documenting them on either side of the Green Line, throughout Israel and the Occupied Territories, in an effort to offer the broadest survey possible. They straddle the distinct worlds of fine art and reportage. “Working in a country like Israel, it is difficult, if not impossible, to separate art from social reality,” says Adam Reynolds.
In the 19th century, photography and colonial ethnography were tools of British governance on the subcontinent. Colonial officers were asked to submit photographs on various subjects across India. Images of people, place and space was seen as useful surveillance documentation to observe, understand and control native communities. Eugene Clutterbuck Impey (1830-1904) arrived in India in 1851 and lived there until his retirement in 1878. He served as political agent at different posts across the country. The Eastern Art archives include over 250 negatives and photographs of Impey’s images of people, architectural sites, and landscapes.