Mughal and Persian Paintings and Illustrated Manuscripts in the Raza Library Rampur

by Barbara Schmitz

During the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, the Nawwabs of Rampur, the hereditary rulers of Rohilkhand a district some 75 kilometers east of New Delhi, amassed a large collection of books and art, including illustrated books and album paintings. Their collection was given to the people of India after independence.

About the Author:

Dr. Barbara Schmitz, received her Ph.d. in the field of Islamic Painting from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University in 1981. Priro to this catalogue, Dr. Schmitz has authored Islamic Manuscripts in The New York Public Library (New York and Oxford, 1992) and Islamic and Indian Manuscripts and Painitngs in The Pierpont Morgan Library (New York, 1997).

Dr. Ziyaud-Din A. Desai (1925-2002) had an exceptionally brilliant career. He topped the list of successful candidates at the B.A. and M.A. examination of the Bombay University. After teaching Persian at the University level for about six years, he joined the Archaeological Survey of India as the head of its Perso-Arabic epigraphy section in 1953 and finally retired as Director (Epigraphy) after a distinguished career of three decades.

Contents:

• Foreword

• List of Plates
• Acknowledgements
• The Development of Rampur State and The Raza Library by Lalit M. Gujral
• Highlights of the Collection by Barbara Schmitz
• Abbreviations, Transliterations, Conversion of Dates
• The Albums
• The Leaves
• The Manuscripts
• Persian Manuscripts, Fourteenth-nineteenth centuries
• Arabic Manuscripts
• Plates
• Bibliography
• Indices