- Cleveland State University, Art History, Faculty MemberThe Metropolitan Museum of Art, Department of Asian Art, Alumnus, and 2 moreadd
- Rajput painting, Rasa Theory, Indian Art, South Asian Art, Modern and Contemporary Indian Art, South Asian Decorative Art, and 91 moreSanskrit language and literature, Sanskrit Aesthetics, Text And Image, South Asian Studies, South Asian Visual Culture, Mughal painting, Indian studies, Hindi Literature, Medieval Indian History, Persian and Indian Miniature Painting, Sanskrit, Anthropology Of Art, Indian folk art and folklore, Indian Oral Traditions, Religious Studies /Indology, Goddess Cultures In India, Indology, Codicology, Manuscripts, Shastra, Dharmasutras, Visual Studies, Aesthetics, Vaishnavism, Indian Archaeology and History of Art, Religion and Art, Sanskrit Studies, Sanskrit Aesthetics, Indian Philosophy, Indian Music, Dance and Arts, Rasa and bhakti, Relationship Between Art Theory and Practice, Rajasthan, Indian Culture, Rajasthani Miniature Painting, History of Indian Painting, Indian Mythology, Islam and Sufism in South Asia, Indian art and architecture, Hindu temples, Indian Painting, Hindu iconography, South Indian Temple Architecture, Ancient Indian Art and Architecture, Indian ancient history, Nathdwara, Nathdwara Art, Pushti Marga, Ancient Indian Archaeology, Do Sau Bavan Vaisnavan Ki Varta, History of Oriental studies, Orientalism in art, Transculturalism, Southeast Asian Studies, Pushtimarg, Sri Lankan Archaeology, History of Sri Lanka, Bhakti Movement, Contemporary Asian art, Modern and Contemporary Art History and Theory, Contemporary Asian Art, Art and Globalization, Post-Colonialism, South Asian Religions, South Asian History, Hinduism, Islamic Art, Mughal History, Indo-Islamic Art and Architecture, South Asia, Hindu Mythology, Indian Modernism (Art), Hare Krishna, Hindi Urdu Language and Literature, Hindi, Methodology for research in literature specially Hindi, Hindi Poetry, Indian Literature, Devotional Poetry, Indian Aesthetics, Krishna Bhakti Traditions, Hindi/Urdu, Dalit Literature, Print Culture, Bhakti Traditions, Bhakti, Storia dell'Arte dell'India, Nāths, Rajasthani Painting, Kalighat painting, Ragamala paintings, Ecocriticism, Environmental Humanities, Anthropocene, Havelis of Rajasthan, Jainism, Jaina Art and Iconography, and Ananda Coomaraswamyedit
- South Asian Studies South Asian Art History Storia dell’Arte dell’India Isabella Nardi (PhD, SOAS University of Lond... moreSouth Asian Studies
South Asian Art History
Storia dell’Arte dell’India
Isabella Nardi (PhD, SOAS University of London) specializes in South Asian art history and visual culture from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. Her primary area of interest encompasses the history and spread of the Krishnaite sect known as the Vallabha Sampradaya and its interaction with Mughal and Rajput powers as revealed by painting, architecture, and court chronicles. Within this frame, she is currently researching the early temples of the sampradaya in Braj and the development of haveli temples in northern India.
She has also extensively worked on the devotional arts of Nathdwara, Rajput court painting from Rajasthan, and the Sanskrit technical treatises on the theory of painting.edit
Art collector Anil Relia had always admired the miniature paintings of the Nathdwara school, which grew out of the religious devotion of the Pushti Marg (Path of Grace). On one of his trips to this pilgrimage town, he encountered manorath... more
Art collector Anil Relia had always admired the miniature paintings of the Nathdwara school, which grew out of the religious devotion of the Pushti Marg (Path of Grace). On one of his trips to this pilgrimage town, he encountered manorath paintings, whose unusual visual elements attracted his attention immediately. Originally part of the Pushti Marg popular culture, manorath paintings were often commissioned by devout followers as an indelible record of a pilgrimage trip to Nathdwara.
Manorath (“mind’s vehicle”) paintings are a visual representation of the pilgrim’s wish to enter into mutual communication with a divine Pushti Marg icon. The popular manoraths in this collection, which employ mixed media and photo-realism techniques, illustrate worshippers in the presence of Shrinathji. These images had a deep emotional resonance for worshippers because they embodied both the corporeal pilgrimage to Nathdwara as also the inner devotional experience.
As author Isabella Nardi demonstrates, the paintings in this collection are not merely souvenirs of a pilgrimage trip; they represent the worshipper’s journey to Nathdwara for a darshan with their beloved and revered deity. With pilgrims as patrons, these manoraths are truly portraits of devotion.
Published in association with Archer Art Gallery, Ahmedabad.
Manorath (“mind’s vehicle”) paintings are a visual representation of the pilgrim’s wish to enter into mutual communication with a divine Pushti Marg icon. The popular manoraths in this collection, which employ mixed media and photo-realism techniques, illustrate worshippers in the presence of Shrinathji. These images had a deep emotional resonance for worshippers because they embodied both the corporeal pilgrimage to Nathdwara as also the inner devotional experience.
As author Isabella Nardi demonstrates, the paintings in this collection are not merely souvenirs of a pilgrimage trip; they represent the worshipper’s journey to Nathdwara for a darshan with their beloved and revered deity. With pilgrims as patrons, these manoraths are truly portraits of devotion.
Published in association with Archer Art Gallery, Ahmedabad.
Research Interests: Hinduism, Art History, Visual Culture, South Asian Studies, South Asia, and 15 morePortraiture, History of Art, South Asian Art, South Asian Religions, Indian Art, History of Indian Painting, Hindu Studies, Indian Archaeology and History of Art, South Asian Art History, Bhakti Traditions, Indian Art History, Painted Photographs, Pushtimarg, Indian Painting, and Pushti Marga
Research Interests: Indian studies, South Asian Studies, Oral Traditions, South Asian Art, Text And Image, and 12 moreIndian Art, Orality, Indian Aesthetics, History of Indian Painting, Indology, Indian Archaeology and History of Art, Religion and Art, Sanskrit Studies, Sanskrit Aesthetics, Indian Philosophy, Indian Music, Dance and Arts, Indian Painting, Relationship Between Art Theory and Practice, Shastra, Dharmasutras, and Shilpa Shastras
This study brings together written and visual evidence of an imposing religious event in the Vallabha sampradāy history: a liturgical performance known as the Festival of the Seven Svarūps. Officiated at the Śrī Nāthjī temple of Nathdwara... more
This study brings together written and visual evidence of an imposing religious event in the Vallabha sampradāy history: a liturgical performance known as the Festival of the Seven Svarūps. Officiated at the Śrī Nāthjī temple of Nathdwara in 1739-40, it was attended by priests, royalty, and devotees to launch a new period of prosperity and well-being after challenging historical times. This study integrates diverse materials to create a vivid picture of the sumptuous festivity, its organizer (Tilkāyat Govardhanesh, b. 1707), its sponsor (Maharao Durjan Sal of Kota, r. 1723-56), and its sacred participants, the svarūps-the most treasured Krishna icons of the sect. A detailed analysis of the sources will reveal important elements, such as the intertwined network, the Rajput political allies, and the relevance and range of action of the sampradāy in the eighteenth century.
Research Interests: Hinduism, South Asian Studies, South Asia, South Asian History, South Asian Art, and 9 moreSouth Asian Religions, History of Indian Painting, Persian and Indian Miniature Painting, South Asian Art History, History of Rajputs, Bhakti Traditions, Rajasthan Studies, Krishna Bhakti Traditions, and Vallabha Sampradaya
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Research Interests: Hinduism, Art History, Indian studies, South Asian Studies, Painting, and 15 moreSouth Asia, South Asian Art, Text And Image, Indian Art, Indian Manuscripts, Hindu Mythology, Hindu Studies, Indian Archaeology and History of Art, South Asian Art History, Art, Iconography and Religion (Hindu and Buddhist)., Indian Illuminated Manuscripts, Indian Art History, Bhagavata Purana, Indian Painting, and Bhagavatapurana
This article analyses a selection of portraits that decorate the apartments of the Garh Mahal, a royal palace located in the city centre of Jhalawar in southern Rajasthan. The paintings were executed in two distinct periods: the first set... more
This article analyses a selection of portraits that decorate the apartments of the Garh Mahal, a royal palace located in the city centre of Jhalawar in southern Rajasthan. The paintings were executed in two distinct periods: the first set dates from the time of Maharaj Rana Prithvi Singh (r. 1845–75) and can be dated to the mid-1860s; the second one was commissioned by Maharaj Rana Bhawani Singh (r. 1899–1929) between 1918 and 1921. The purpose of this investigation is to highlight the evolution and the peculiar ways in which the rulers of Jhalawar, who belong to the Jhala Rajput clan, visually manifested their legitimation to power and reinforced their political relevance after attaining independence from Kota in 1838. Their ideologies and aspirations are revealed by precise stylistic strategies and carefully assembled dynastic groups of portraits. In the dynastic groups, Jhala rulers are juxtaposed with other Rajput monarchs and Pushti Marg religious figures to emphasize royal and devotional connections. The first group of portraits focuses on anachronistic royal affiliations executed in ‘Rajasthani’ style, a visual idiom not attributable to a specific school of painting and suggesting, therefore, a Rajput social and political cohesion. The second group highlights Bhawani Singh’s relationship with his contemporaneous royal peers and Nathdwara religious figures. This set of portraits was executed by a team of painters supervised by the famous Ghasiram Hardev Sharma of Nathdwara (1869–1931). The murals display a variety of visual idioms, including the traditional Nathdwara miniature painting style, ‘photographic aesthetic’, and Victorian academic realism.
Please, feel free to contact me to get a copy of the pdf.
Please, feel free to contact me to get a copy of the pdf.
Research Interests: Portraits, Art History, Photography, South Asian Studies, Portraiture, and 15 moreVaishnavism, South Asian Art, Indian Art, Rajasthan, Modern and Contemporary Indian Art, Persian and Indian Miniature Painting, Indian Archaeology and History of Art, South Asian Art History, Bhakti, Havelis of Rajasthan, History of Rajputs, Indian Art History, Pushtimarg, Pushti Marga, and Nathdwara Art
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Research Interests: South Asian Studies, Oral Traditions, South Asian Art, Text And Image, Indian Art, and 10 moreOrality, Manuscripts, Indology, Indian Archaeology and History of Art, South Asian Art History, Religion and Art, Sanskrit Studies, Sanskrit Aesthetics, Indian Philosophy, Indian Music, Dance and Arts, Relationship Between Art Theory and Practice, Shastra, Dharmasutras, and Shilpa Shastras
Research Interests: South Asian Studies, Oral Traditions, South Asian Art, Text And Image, Indian Art, and 8 moreOrality, Manuscripts, Indology, Indian Archaeology and History of Art, Religion and Art, Sanskrit Studies, Sanskrit Aesthetics, Indian Philosophy, Indian Music, Dance and Arts, Shastra, Dharmasutras, and Shilpa Shastras
Research Interests: South Asian Studies, South Asian Literature, Indian Art, Indian folk art and folklore, Indian Oral Traditions, and 5 moreRajasthan, Art, Iconography and Religion (Hindu and Buddhist)., Religion and Art, Sanskrit Studies, Sanskrit Aesthetics, Indian Philosophy, Indian Music, Dance and Arts, Indian folk art and folklore, History of Indian Art, and Text and Image Arts
Research Interests: Oral Traditions, South Asian Art, Text And Image, Indian Art, Orality, and 12 moreBrahmanism, History of Indian Art, Manuscripts, Persian and Indian Miniature Painting, Indology, Indian Archaeology and History of Art, Religion and Art, Sanskrit Studies, Sanskrit Aesthetics, Indian Philosophy, Indian Music, Dance and Arts, Indian Painting, Relationship Between Art Theory and Practice, Shastra, Nathdwara Art, and Shilpa Shastras
This article highlights the importance of a prominent festival, the Saptasvarupa Annakutotsava celebrated in Nathdwara in 1822, through an iconographic analysis of a miniature painting dated to 1822–1850 in the LACMA collection. First,... more
This article highlights the importance of a prominent festival, the Saptasvarupa Annakutotsava celebrated in Nathdwara in 1822, through an iconographic analysis of a miniature painting dated to 1822–1850 in the LACMA collection. First, the essay delimits the area of investigation by briefly introducing the sect of Puṣṭi Mārg, its icons or svarūps, and the installation of its most important deity, Śrī Nāthjī, at Nathdwara in 1672. Secondly, it analyzes the festival of 1822 as depicted in the painting. The final part of the study underlines the significance of the celebrations in the history of the sect by contextualizing the event with information drawn from secondary literature: it introduces some well-documented issues, such as the absence of the svarūp of Bālkṛṣṇajī in the celebrations; it mentions some of the problems that Dauji, the head priest of the temple, had to overcome in the coordination of the festival, such as settling the disputes among the gosvāmīs of the sect; and it concludes with a comparative analysis of the Saptasvarupa Annakutotsava with two similar festivals held in Nathdwara in 1739–1740 and 1966 to emphasize the preeminence of the event of 1822 in the history of Puṣṭi Mārg.
Research Interests: Hinduism, South Asian Studies, South Asia, South Asian Religions, Text And Image, and 15 moreIndian Art, Hindu Studies, Indian Archaeology and History of Art, Pittura, Art, Iconography and Religion (Hindu and Buddhist)., Religion and Art, Sanskrit Studies, Sanskrit Aesthetics, Indian Philosophy, Indian Music, Dance and Arts, Indian Philosophy and Religion, Bhakti, Bhakti Traditions, Indian Art History, Pushtimarg, Pushti Marga, Krishna Bhakti Traditions, Nathdwara Art, and Storia dell'Arte dell'India
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Research Interests: Portraiture, South Asian Art, Indian Art, History of Indian Painting, Persian and Indian Miniature Painting, and 10 moreIndian Archaeology and History of Art, Kingship in India, Pittura, Sacred and divine kingship, Southeast Asian Art History, History of Rajputs, Indian Painting, Rajput painting, Rajasthani Miniature Painting, and Storia dell'Arte dell'India
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Research Interests: South Asian Art, Indian Art, History of Indian Painting, Rajasthan, Persian and Indian Miniature Painting, and 8 moreSouth Asian Art History, Pittura, Religion and Art, Sanskrit Studies, Sanskrit Aesthetics, Indian Philosophy, Indian Music, Dance and Arts, Mural painting, Indian Painting, Nathdwara Art, Nathdwara, and Storia dell'Arte dell'India
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https://amzn.eu/d/5ocrP9B In occasione dell’elezione di Brescia a capitale italiana della cultura, Baias amplia l’orizzonte di riferimento e propone una mostra che combina arte italiana, indiana e himalayana. Baias è lieta di... more
https://amzn.eu/d/5ocrP9B
In occasione dell’elezione di Brescia a capitale italiana della cultura, Baias amplia l’orizzonte di riferimento e propone una mostra che combina arte italiana, indiana e himalayana.
Baias è lieta di presentare una selezione di opere dalla collezione della famiglia Mutti: tre generazioni bresciane unite dalla passione per l'arte. Fulcro della pubblicazione sono le 41 intriganti e colorate pitture indiane raccolte dall’architetto Giacomo Mutti durante i suoi numerosi viaggi nel subcontinente.
Tutte le opere sono corredate da schede descrittive redatte secondo gli standard che Baias si è imposta come marchio distintivo della sua attività di ricerca, studio e commercializzazione dei manufatti artistici di area mediorientale e indiana.
In occasione dell’elezione di Brescia a capitale italiana della cultura, Baias amplia l’orizzonte di riferimento e propone una mostra che combina arte italiana, indiana e himalayana.
Baias è lieta di presentare una selezione di opere dalla collezione della famiglia Mutti: tre generazioni bresciane unite dalla passione per l'arte. Fulcro della pubblicazione sono le 41 intriganti e colorate pitture indiane raccolte dall’architetto Giacomo Mutti durante i suoi numerosi viaggi nel subcontinente.
Tutte le opere sono corredate da schede descrittive redatte secondo gli standard che Baias si è imposta come marchio distintivo della sua attività di ricerca, studio e commercializzazione dei manufatti artistici di area mediorientale e indiana.
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Short paper abstract This paper explores vernacular uses and responses to photography in India through an analysis of a selection of artefacts produced at Nathdwara for Pushti Marg devotees. These works will challenge established notions... more
Short paper abstract This paper explores vernacular uses and responses to photography in India through an analysis of a selection of artefacts produced at Nathdwara for Pushti Marg devotees. These works will challenge established notions of Indian photography which have been shaped by the study of the colonial archive.
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CBC Conference, University of Tübingen, 9-11 April 2018. Chair: Isabella Nardi. Speakers: Daniela de Simone; Anna Dallapiccola; Laura E. Parodi; Isabella Nardi; Anna Ślączka. Description: In Jack Goody’s monograph Renaissances: The... more
CBC Conference, University of Tübingen, 9-11 April 2018.
Chair: Isabella Nardi.
Speakers: Daniela de Simone; Anna Dallapiccola; Laura E. Parodi; Isabella Nardi; Anna Ślączka. Description: In Jack Goody’s monograph Renaissances: The One or The Many? (CUP 2010), the author argues that even though we associate the word Renaissance with a particular historic period and cultural movement of Italy, this is a phenomenon that recurs in all literate societies including those outside of Europe. Such critical moment is defined by a number of common elements, such as economic prosperity and greater freedom, and it is characterized by periods of ‘looking back’ at classical knowledge, by ‘looking around’ at other cultures, and by ‘bursts forward’ or ‘golden ages’. These prosperous times are distinguished by a considerable flowering of culture in all its aspects. Expanding on Goody’s definition of ‘many renaissances’ and ‘golden ages’, this panel proposes to explore the possibilities, and pitfalls, of applying this terminology to South Asian art history.
Chair: Isabella Nardi.
Speakers: Daniela de Simone; Anna Dallapiccola; Laura E. Parodi; Isabella Nardi; Anna Ślączka. Description: In Jack Goody’s monograph Renaissances: The One or The Many? (CUP 2010), the author argues that even though we associate the word Renaissance with a particular historic period and cultural movement of Italy, this is a phenomenon that recurs in all literate societies including those outside of Europe. Such critical moment is defined by a number of common elements, such as economic prosperity and greater freedom, and it is characterized by periods of ‘looking back’ at classical knowledge, by ‘looking around’ at other cultures, and by ‘bursts forward’ or ‘golden ages’. These prosperous times are distinguished by a considerable flowering of culture in all its aspects. Expanding on Goody’s definition of ‘many renaissances’ and ‘golden ages’, this panel proposes to explore the possibilities, and pitfalls, of applying this terminology to South Asian art history.
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ECSAS Vienna 2020. Focusing on the devotional sect of Pushtimarg, this panel encourages a diversity of papers to stimulate new debates on the significance of the sect vis-à-vis its social histories, devotional practices, theologies,... more
ECSAS Vienna 2020.
Focusing on the devotional sect of Pushtimarg, this panel encourages a diversity of papers to stimulate new debates on the significance of the sect vis-à-vis its social histories, devotional practices, theologies, literatures, visual and performing arts from the 15 th century up to the present day.
Focusing on the devotional sect of Pushtimarg, this panel encourages a diversity of papers to stimulate new debates on the significance of the sect vis-à-vis its social histories, devotional practices, theologies, literatures, visual and performing arts from the 15 th century up to the present day.
Research Interests: Hinduism, Indian studies, South Asian Studies, South Asia, Asian History, and 15 moreSouth Asian History, South Asian Literature, South Asian Art, South Asian Religions, Indian Literature, Indian Art, Religious Studies, Caste and Gender Issues in Indian Culture and Literature, Indian Archaeology and History of Art, Indian Philosophy and Religion, Bhakti Movement, Bhakti Traditions, Pushtimarg, Pushti Marga, and Vallabha Sampradaya
CfP: The 11th International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS), Leiden 16-19 July 2019 Panel: Modernity and Modernism in South Asian Art (c. 1880-1947) Chairs: Regina Hoefer and Isabella Nardi Deadline for sending your abstract: 26... more
CfP: The 11th International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS), Leiden 16-19 July 2019
Panel: Modernity and Modernism in South Asian Art (c. 1880-1947)
Chairs: Regina Hoefer and Isabella Nardi
Deadline for sending your abstract: 26 September 2018
Panel: Modernity and Modernism in South Asian Art (c. 1880-1947)
Chairs: Regina Hoefer and Isabella Nardi
Deadline for sending your abstract: 26 September 2018