Book Description

The arts of the Indian subcontinent and of those surrounding lands ("Greater India") that fell under its artistic influence are here given an unrivaled pictorial treatment. The splendid illustrations and informative text of this book carry the story from the earliest evidence of civilization at such sites as Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa in the third millennium B.C. to the exquisite products of the Rajput and Pahari schools of miniature painting. Professor Munsterberg explains how, after the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization, the visual arts languished for over a thousand years until there occurred an astonishing revival of art in the service of Buddhism. We then witness the emergence of Hinduy art in the seventh century A.D. The great temples of this so-called Hindu Medieval period, which lasted until the Moslem conquest of northern India in the thirteenth century, surpass anything that was being produced in the West at the time. This volume embraces a vast area that includes approximately one-third of the world's population and covers a period of some five thousand years. -- From publisher's description.