The Annemarie Schimmel Memorial Lecture—“I Saw My Lord in the Form of a Beardless Youth”: Images of Devotion in a Mughal Princely Album

Monday, January 29, 2024
6 - 7 pm | Bonnie J. Sacerdote Lecture Hall, Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education

Murad Khan Mumtaz, Assistant Professor, Williams College and UVa Art Departmen Alum

As a young prince, Dara Shikoh (1615–1659), heir to the Mughal throne, compiled an album for his fiancée, Nadira Banu Begum. The album celebrates the theme of union through various visual and literary metaphors, including the conspicuous presence of dervishes shown viewing princes and princesses in idyllic garden settings. In this talk, join Murad Khan Mumtaz, Assistant Professor, Williams College, to explore how depictions of Muslim ascetics in this album aided in constructing the courtly persona of Dara Shikoh as a locus of godly manifestation within Indo-Muslim devotional culture.

The lecture series is made possible by The Norbert Schimmel Trust.

Free, though advance registration is required.  Please note: Space is limited; first come, first served.

Use the street-level Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education entrance at Fifth Avenue and 81st Street.