cover image Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India: 1100-1900

Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India: 1100-1900

John Guy and Jorrit Britschgi. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Yale Univ., dist.), $45 (224pp) ISBN 978-0-300-17582-0

Intended as a supplement to the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this volume splendidly explores 800 years of Indian painting, beginning with its origins as a form of interior decorating for "palaces and places of worship" and illustration of "both secular and sacred" texts, and bringing readers up to the brackish waters of the late 1800s, when innovative painter/photographers would hand-color black and white portraits. This ambitious tome explores various schools of thought and technique, in addition to examining how historical, religious, and geographical changes affected Indian painting. Debunking the assumption that much of Indian art was created anonymously, Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Guy (Indian Textiles in the East) and Museum Rietberg Z%C3%BCrich curator Britschgi acquaint readers with the individuals responsible for the art, presenting a brief biography of each, as well as several of their works. From the richness of the lapis lazuli (an innovation courtesy of Iran) of the Kalpasutra manuscript to the dynamic detail of Shivalal's epic "Maharana Fateh Singh shooting a leopard at Kamlod ka Magra," the beautifully reproduced images will make this book appeal to Indian art aficionados as well as those looking for a digestible introduction to an oeuvre of lesser-known masters. Illus. and maps. (Oct.)