The Mughals - descendants of Timur and Genghiz Khan with strong cultural ties to the Persian world - seized political power in north India in 1526 and became the most important artistically active Muslim dynasty on the subcontinent. In this richly illustrated book, Dr Milo Beach shows how, between 1555 and 1630 in particular, Mughal patronage of the arts was incessant and radically innovative for the Indian context. The author reveals how Mughal painting was defined by the styles popular at the imperial court, whereas Pajput painting consisted of many local court styles, corresponding to the various Hindu kingdoms, each with different tastes and artistic inspirations. By reproducing nearly 200 examples in this study, Milo Beach traces the interplay of the traditions of Mughal and Rajput painting from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. He demonstrates the tolerance each showed towards outside influence and change and thus helps to define a uniquely Indian attitude towards the arts.

"Beach's work is a sumptuous survey of the history of this long tradition....The strengths of the work lie in Beach's expertise, diligent research, and perceptive insights into the particular origins and peculiar techniques, as well as in the 195 plates (16 of them in color.) Indispensable for South Asia collections and equally valuable for the cognoscenti." Choice

"Mughal and Rajput Painting provides a useful and stimulating résumé of current knowledge." Times Literary Supplement