Discover the paintings and decorative arts of the Mughal period - the most powerful and lasting of the Islamic dynasties in India.
After 1600, European trade with India expanded greatly. The Portuguese were followed by the competing Dutch, English, and French East India Companies. By the 1760s, the British Company was becoming the dominant political power in India, leading to British rule from 1858 to 1947. At that time, India was considered the ‘Jewel in the Crown' of Britain's worldwide empire.
The arts of the colonial or Company period show the increasing awareness in India of European styles and design motifs, especially in luxury export items such as textiles or ivory work. Until the mid-nineteenth century, these foreign elements were skilfully adapted by Indian craftsmen and assimilated into their own traditional decorative repertoire.
Objects may have since been removed or replaced from a gallery. Click into an individual object record to confirm whether or not an object is currently on display. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis, so contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular Eastern Art object.
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