Wikipedia:GLAM/British Library/Mughal



Wikipedia British Library - Mughal India collaboration

As part of the main BL project, this focuses on the BL's collection of Mughal art, and the associated "Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire" exhibition. Interested in writing about something? Here's some of the highlights...

Material
The exhibition includes a number of significant artworks and manuscripts, as well as representative copies of other major works. The list here gives the works as well as (where notable) the individual manuscripts (MS). Those marked with ‡ have been photographed and images may (hopefully) be available.


 * Baburnama - a history of the emperor Babur
 * ‡ MS: Baburhama (British Library, Or. 3714).


 * Akbarnama - a history of the emperor Akbar (including vol. 3, separately written about as the Ain-i-Akbari)
 * ‡ MS: Akbarnama (British Library, Or. 12988).
 * ‡ Additional copy of Ain-i-Akbari - Add. 16872 (c. 1780).


 * Khamsa of Nizami
 * ‡ MS: Khamsa of Nizami (British Library, Or. 12208).


 * Ahval-i Humayun Padshah - "Life of King Humayun", autobiography by Gulbadan Begum. (notes)
 * Or. 166 is the sole extant MS. (Alternative titles - Humayun Nama, Humayun-nama)


 * Mu'izz al-ansab - "Glorifier of Pedigrees", Timurid genealogy (notes)
 * ‡ MS: Or. 14306.


 * Treaty of Allahabad
 * ‡ MS: Eur G.49.


 * Vaqi'at-i Baburi - autobiographical memoirs of Babur
 * MS: Add. 26324 (earliest dated copy)


 * Kabutarnama - "Book of Pigeons", an instructional poem for pigeon-fanciers.
 * ‡ MS: IO Islamic 4811


 * Bayaz-i khvushbu'i - "Notebook of Fragrance", a handbook of household management and activities.
 * MS: IO Islamic 828


 * Shahnama - "Book of Kings"
 * ‡ MS: Royal Asiatic Society Persian MS. 239


 * Anvar-i Suhayli - "Lights of Canopus"
 * ‡ MS: Add. 18579.


 * Fuente de Vida (or The Truth-Reflecting Mirror) - Jerome Xavier
 * MS: Harley 5478 (in translation, as Ainah-i haqqnuma)


 * Razmnama - "Book of Battles" (extracts from the Mahabharata)
 * MS: Add. Or. 2778, 2780
 * ‡ MS: Razmnamah (British Library, Or. 12076).


 * Tarikh-i Alfi - "History of the Millennium", commissioned by Akbar
 * MS: Add. 16681

Artists
All or most of the 10 artists with (except for Abd al-Samad, rather short) biographies in Category:Painters from the Mughal Empire are represented.

To check

 * Currently not sure if these are in the exhibition or not...


 * Tuzk-e-Jahangiri - memoirs of Jahangir (not on display?)
 * Padshahnama - series of works on Shah Jahan
 * Tutinama - "Tales of a Parrot", illustrated MS commissioned for Akbar
 * Hamzanama

Themes

 * Mughal architecture
 * Akbari Architecture


 * Mughal art
 * Mughal manuscripts
 * Mughal painting


 * Mughal coinage
 * Mughal dynastic seals - there are some lovely examples of these photographed

Resources

 * Exhibition blog