The King of the World: An Imperial Manuscript for the Royal Library Windsor Castle
"Padshahnama," or "Chronicle of the King of the World," was created to commemorate the first ten years of rule by the Mughal Emperor Shah-Jahan, the same man who commissioned the Taj Mahal. It depicts Mughal court culture in a blend of Persian and Indic artistic styles with a focus on official histories and portrait studies. Usually housed in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, this 17th-century piece has been loaned for exhibition in the United States. (The exhibit travels to New York, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and Fort Worth.) Authors Beach (Mughal & Rajput Painting, Cambridge Univ., 1992) and Koch (Mughal Architecture, te Neues, 1995) let the compelling artwork?presented in luxurious, almost full-sized reproductions?propel the exhibition catalog and underpin it with appropriate information as necessary. One fine example is the appendix, which includes biographical information, with names of those pictured in "Padshahnama," historical placement, and listings for comparative portraits. This first scholarly analysis of "Padshahnama" will be welcomed in specialized libraries focusing on art history or India.?Nadine Dalton Speidel, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OhioCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.