A catalogue to accompany an exhibit held at the museum from March to July 1997. Color reproductions of 83 paintings are presented chronologically rather than in the usual separate sections on Mughal, Deccani, Rijput, and Pahari traditions. Kossak, associate curator of Asian art at the museum, offers an introductory essay. Distributed in the US by Harry N. Abrams. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A catalogue to accompany an exhibit held at the museum from March to July 1997. Color reproductions of 83 paintings are presented chronologically rather than in the usual separate sections on Mughal, Deccani, Rijput, and Pahari traditions. Kossak, associate curator of Asian art at the museum, offers an introductory essay. Distributed in the US by Harry N. Abrams. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Visions of Paradise presents the National Gallery of Victoria's collection of Indian court paintings, including its internationally important holdings of Rajput paintings, and opens up the world of opulent palaces, sumptuous lifestyles and cultural activities of the famed maharanas and maharajas of Rajasthan.

Court painting, both devotional and secular, has a long history in India and has inspired artists from diverse global traditions. This Bulletin features more than fifty stunning examples of Indian court painting by Mughal, Deccani, Rajasthani, and Pahari artists all from the former collection of British painter Howard Hodgkin (1932–2017). The works featured include stunning portraits, beautifully detailed text illustrations, studies of the natural world, and devotional subjects. Authors explore Hodgkins’s interest in these works and the relationship between his collecting and artistic practice while also providing detailed discussions of individual styles of the Indian courts and the vibrant exchange across their kingdoms from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century.

Published in conjunction with an exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Sept. 28, 2011-Jan. 8, 2012.