Indian Antiquary Vol 60

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 119

MAY, 1931)
BOOK-NOTICES
reached a stage of remarkable perfection. It be. Between the years 1917 and 1922 the celebratnd came so fashionable, however, among the great | Swedish traveller and explorer, Sven Hedin, published nobles and the richer public as to lead in his son, a monumental work entitled Southern Tibet. Discover Shah Jahan's time, by extensive copying of the ies in Former Times compared with my own Researches authentic originals, to the development of type in 1906-08, comprising nine thick quarto volumen portraits, and, except in the hands of the best of text, with 599 plates, accompanied by 2 artists, to the loss of those finer touches that reveal portfolios containing 98 maps and a folio album personality. The meticulous care of the portrait of 105 double plates, reproducing 652 panora painters led, further, to the production of wonderful mas drawn by the explorer himself. The huge bulk likenesses of animals, birds and flowers, often intro- and high cost of this work place it out of the reach luced as an exquisite framework round the central of most scholars; and all who are interested in the theme.
physical features of Tibet and the great mountain It is difficult to compare the finished gem of systems of south central Asia must feel deeply in Mughal painting with the broad and vigorous lines debted to M. de Margerie for this admirable summary of the crowded scenes on the frescoes of Ajanta. of all the essential facts presented by the explorer, Both were remarkable in their own styles. Hands whose knowledge of these regions is ungurpaesed. and feet, in particular, are naturally and beautifully The photographs, sketches in black and white, delineated at Ajanta ; and we find the Mughal water-colour drawings and maps are all dealt with artists using the hands with special skill to break in turn, and then the contents of each of the volumes the outlines of the stiff pose of the standing figure, of text is reviewed, not omitting the chapters writ. e.g., by drawing them resting on the sword hilt or ten by expert collaborators on the geological and holding some other weapon, or turning over the other scientific data collected. A just encomium is leaves of book. or by perching a falcon on the paid to the remarkable skill which Hedin shows in hand, and in other ways. The work of the Mughal hig drawings, to the vigour and clearness of his school is perhaps chiefly treasured for its extreme touch and absence of superfluong lines, and to the delicacy of execution. A striking example is that excellence of the photographio reproductions. The reproduced on Plate XXXII (Death of 'Inayat maps have been described sheet by sheet, and the Khân), of which there is a brilliant painting among orography and morphology of the regions portrayed the Ouseley MSS. at the Bodleian, illustrated in Mr. and illustrated by sketch mare with the ability of Binyon's Court Painters of the Grand Moguls. Plate an expert, whose own work in this branch of geo XXXV shows & fine border, or frame, clopicting igraphy has earned world-wide recognition. An ex huntsmen, flying geese and ducks and flowers; and cellent survey has been given of the history, from Plates LIV and LV, good examples of calligraphy.
the age of Ptolemy onwards, of the cartography of Akbar was specially fond of having illustrations made
the arone concerned as well as of the history of exfor his favourite books : examples of these, from the
ploration therein. In regard to his own exploraHamza-nama, Rasika priya and Mahabharata, will
tive work, it is remarkable that Sven Hedin's per be found on Plates I, VIII-XIX and Xx.
sonal narrative fills little more than one-sixth of It is very interesting to compare the views ex.
the total toxt. He himself rightly attached greatpressed in this work with those of M. Ivan Stchoucet importance to his work in the Transhima kine (in his recent volume, La Peinture Indienne à laya," that is, in the region to the north of the répoque des Grands Moghols), who comes to the
Tsang-Po valley, lying roughly between 80 and conclusions apparently that the influence of Persia
88 E. Long. and south of 32 N. Lat., an area with on Mughal painting was not profound and that its which his name must ever be associated. essential character was derived from indigenous This little book is a model of what such a synop. sources, and that the rigid distinction usually drawn Bis should be. Omitting immaterial particulars, it between Mughal and Rajput painting is not main. supplies just sufficient detail in respect of subjects tainable from the artistic point of view. Dr. of permanent interest or special importance, disCoomaraswamy is of opinion, on the other hand, that closing the exercise of & careful discrimination. while certain Indian elements are recognizable. Well arranged and clearly written, it forms o "Mughal painting remains an entirely distinct notable tribute to the great value of the work creation, and cannot be described as dependent on
done by Hedin in Tibet. contemporary Indian painting."
C.E.A. W. O. The plates are clearly reproduced, and the trans. REVUE DE FOLKLORE FRANÇAIS, organe de la litoration of Indian names and Persian words is Société du Folklore Français, Nos. 1 and 2, Jancarefully done on the whole. The Catalogue will
Feb. 1930. L. Staude, 16 Rue des Grands prove an indispensable guide to the collections.
Augustins, Paris. C. E. A. W. 0.
The French Folklore Society was founded in 1928 L'OEUVRE DE SVEN HEDIN ET L'OROGRAPHIE DU on the initiative of M. André Varagnac, but largely
TIBET, par M. EMMANUEL DE MARGERIE. 10 x671 on the work of Sir James and Lady Frazer, who have in. ; pages 139 ; with 29 illustrations and maps. also further greatly helped it by paying the cost of Paris, 1929.
printing and distributing the first two number