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Faces of God: Images of Devotion in Indo-Muslim Painting, 1500â1800
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Islamic art is often misrepresented as an iconophobic tradition. As a result of this assumption, the polyvalence of figural artworks made for South Asian Muslim audiences has remained hidden in plain view.
This book situates manuscript illustrations and album paintings within cultures of devotion and ritual shaped by Islamic intellectual and religious histories. Central to this story are the Mughal siblings, Jahanara Begum and Dara Shikoh, and their Sufi guide Mulla Shah.
Through detailed art historical analysis supported by new translations, this study contextualizes artworks made for Indo-Muslim patrons by putting them into direct dialogue with written testimonies.
This book situates manuscript illustrations and album paintings within cultures of devotion and ritual shaped by Islamic intellectual and religious histories. Central to this story are the Mughal siblings, Jahanara Begum and Dara Shikoh, and their Sufi guide Mulla Shah.
Through detailed art historical analysis supported by new translations, this study contextualizes artworks made for Indo-Muslim patrons by putting them into direct dialogue with written testimonies.
Murad Khan Mumtaz, Ph.D. (2018), University of Virginia, is Assistant Professor at Williams College. He has published numerous articles on South Asian painting. Mumtaz is also a practicing artist trained in traditional Hindustani painting techniques.
From the readers' reports:
"This is a well-researched and well-written book that is a pleasure to read. It has the potential to reshape the field of South Asian art by exploring the central, affective role of images in devotional practices in the early modern era, and Islamic art, as well as speak to audiences interested in South Asian and Islamic literature and culture more broadly."
Holly Shaffer, Assistant Professor of History of Art & Architecture, Brown University
"The virtue of the book lies not just in the originality of its approach, but in the persuasiveness of its arguments and the solidity of its evidence as well. It is a major piece of scholarship that marshals an impressive range of material."
Kavita Singh, formerly Professor of Art History, Jawaharlal Nehru University
"This is a well-researched and well-written book that is a pleasure to read. It has the potential to reshape the field of South Asian art by exploring the central, affective role of images in devotional practices in the early modern era, and Islamic art, as well as speak to audiences interested in South Asian and Islamic literature and culture more broadly."
Holly Shaffer, Assistant Professor of History of Art & Architecture, Brown University
"The virtue of the book lies not just in the originality of its approach, but in the persuasiveness of its arguments and the solidity of its evidence as well. It is a major piece of scholarship that marshals an impressive range of material."
Kavita Singh, formerly Professor of Art History, Jawaharlal Nehru University
AcknowledgementsâIX
List of IllustrationsâXIII
Note on Translation and TransliterationâXXVI
Introduction: The Need for an Ontology of Art
â1âWhat Is Islamic Ontology?
â2âCan âIndian Paintingâ Be Islamic Painting?
â3âṢūrat and MaÊ¿nÄ«: Islam and Islam
â4âPresence
â5âOrganization of the Book
1 Viewing the Face of a Godâs Friend: Conceptual and Literary Premises
â1âSufism
â2âTaáºkira Literature
â3âLooking at the Face of Ê¿Ali Is Worship
2 Sufi in the Garb of a Yogi: Visual and Literary Articulations of Sanctity
â1âThe Yogi in Medieval Sufi Romances
â2âYogis in Princely Albums
3 Allegories, Symbols, and the âMarvelous Magicâ of Imperial Mughal Painting
â1âAkbar: The Saint-King
â2âJahangir: The King of Universal Manifestation
â3âShah Jahan and the Army of Prayer
4 âI Saw My Lord in the Form of a Beardless Youthâ
â1âIn the Company of Dervishes
â2âThe Princely Youth, Alone
â3âInterpreting the Dara Shikoh Album
â4âPersianate Antecedents for the Dara Shikoh Album
5 The Face of Shah ⦠the Face of God
â1âJahanara Begum: Sufi Patron and Practitioner
6 Sacred Viewing: Miraculous Gatherings and Iconic Portraits
â1âThe Majlis Paintings
â2âAn Iconography of Devotion
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
List of IllustrationsâXIII
Note on Translation and TransliterationâXXVI
Introduction: The Need for an Ontology of Art
â1âWhat Is Islamic Ontology?
â2âCan âIndian Paintingâ Be Islamic Painting?
â3âṢūrat and MaÊ¿nÄ«: Islam and Islam
â4âPresence
â5âOrganization of the Book
1 Viewing the Face of a Godâs Friend: Conceptual and Literary Premises
â1âSufism
â2âTaáºkira Literature
â3âLooking at the Face of Ê¿Ali Is Worship
2 Sufi in the Garb of a Yogi: Visual and Literary Articulations of Sanctity
â1âThe Yogi in Medieval Sufi Romances
â2âYogis in Princely Albums
3 Allegories, Symbols, and the âMarvelous Magicâ of Imperial Mughal Painting
â1âAkbar: The Saint-King
â2âJahangir: The King of Universal Manifestation
â3âShah Jahan and the Army of Prayer
4 âI Saw My Lord in the Form of a Beardless Youthâ
â1âIn the Company of Dervishes
â2âThe Princely Youth, Alone
â3âInterpreting the Dara Shikoh Album
â4âPersianate Antecedents for the Dara Shikoh Album
5 The Face of Shah ⦠the Face of God
â1âJahanara Begum: Sufi Patron and Practitioner
6 Sacred Viewing: Miraculous Gatherings and Iconic Portraits
â1âThe Majlis Paintings
â2âAn Iconography of Devotion
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
All those interested in Islamic and South Asian studies, Art history, Religious Studies, History and Comparative Literature.