Book: MUGHAL GLASS: A HISTORY OF GLASSMAKING IN INDIA
Author: Tara Desjardins
Published by: Roli
Price: Rs 2,995
The Mughal emperors were among India’s greatest patrons of art, responsible for some of the country’s most spectacular monuments and miniature paintings. Mughal art has been both prized and carefully studied across the world, but one aspect of it that has not received enough attention is the glasswork done during this period. MUGHAL GLASS: A HISTORY OF GLASSMAKING IN INDIA (Roli, Rs 2,995) by Tara Desjardins, the curator of South Asia at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, seeks to fill this gap. The book combines scientific studies, chemical analyses, primary accounts and archival records of techniques with stunning photographs of glassworks from the Mughal era, including hookah bases, bottles, dishes and trinkets. One of the book’s most fascinating sections, apart from the absorbing socio-economic history that Desjardins outlines, is on the intersections of glassmaking and painting traditions, both Mughal and Rajput.
