An Illustrated History of the Moslem World Written for the "Great Mogul"

Abstract

THE Mughal Emperors of India were great connoisseurs and collectors of illuminated manuscripts and their Imperial Library at Delhi contained a priceless collection of these works of art. On the decay of the dynasty, portions of this library were appropriated by the Mahrattas and also by the Persian invader. Nadir Shah, in the XVIIIth century: it was finally broken up during the Mutiny of 1857. Great were the vicissitudes of some of these valuable manuscripts and miniature paintings before they again found safety in museums or in the hands of modern collectors. Several were acquired as loot by rebel sepoys and were found folded up in their bedding or crammed into their haversacks in a badly mutilated condition. Many of those which were not actually destroyed during these disturbances have been preserved, and recently a group of miniature paintings from the library of the “Great Moguls” came to light, having been discovered by Mr. Ajit Ghose of Calcutta, a connoisseur of Indian and Persian art. These pictur...