T
he history of Mughal glass has been predominantly neglected, leading scholars to speculate as to whether these spectacular specimens are European imports, made from European glass but decorated in India, or of entirely Indian manufacture. Mughal Glass: A History of Glassmaking in India delves into these questions while simultaneously exploring the development of new glass recipes, the impact of increased maritime trade, the Mughal emperors’ penchant for luxury goods, and the influence of colonial consumption in India.
Tara Desjardins is the curator of South Asia at the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha. She obtained her Doctoral degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and has since held curatorial positions at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the San Diego Museum of Art. Desjardins previously worked as an Islamic and Orientalist art specialist at Tajan and Christie’s, Paris. Her research has been published by the Association Internationale pour l’Histoire du Verre (AIHV), the Journal of Glass Studies, Yale University Press, and Thames & Hudson.
With a comprehensive catalog of Mughal glass objects gathered from both public and private collections around the world, this book stands as a definitive work, offering an authentic account that sheds light on a longneglected aspect of Indian history.
Back cover Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan on a Terrace in the Company of a Woman, India | Awadh (Faizabad), 1760–1770 (Bibliothèque nationale de France)
Cover Mughal Glass Tara 8 4 2024.indd 1
ISBN: 9789392130632
Front cover Huqqa base | Awadh or Bengal, 1725–1775 | Free blown, tooled on the pontil with reverse gilding (Freer Gallery, Smithsonian Institute)
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