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FOREWORD
It gives me great pleasure in publishing the 'More Documents of Jaina Paintings and Gujarati Paintings of Sixteenth and Later Centuries' by Dr. U. P. Shah. This em. bodies a lecture delivered by him on 22nd February 1972 at the L. D. Institute of Indology under the 'This year's University Lecture' Scheme of the Gujarat University. More than eighty illustrations are given in this monograph from the various sources selected by the learned lecturer. We are thankful to their custodians or owners. We have mentioned which illustration belongs to whom.
In the field of Indian Miniature Paintings much work has been done by Dr. Coomaraswamy, Motichandra, Karl Khandalawala, U. P. Shah and others but still there remains much to be done, especially so far as mediaeval Gujarati Painting is concerned. How much field remains unexplored will be clear from this monograph. No doubt, the general survey has been done by various experts but deeper studies of the various styles developed in various parts of this great country during so many centuries is a desideratum. In this present work Dr. Shah has very ably explained and demonstrated the special features of the late mediaeval style of Gujarat paintings. As á preface to the Sixteenth century documents Dr. Shah has brought to light some new examples of Western Indian Paintings from the twelfth century onward, and has added an important chapter by discussing line engravings from copper plate charters which are dated, thus giving a better and surer understanding of the beginnings of the Western Indian miniature paintings.
At the end he has given a list of the vast variety of illustrated materials available mainly from various Jaina sources for the guidance of the interested scholars working in the field of Indian Miniature Paintings. This list shows the vast variety of available Jaina book-illustrations.
We are very much grateful to Dr. U. P. Shah for collecting very rich material for his lecture. Our thanks are also due to Shri Bachubhai Rawat of Kumar Karyalaya for carefully printing this book.
L. D. Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad-380 009 15th April, 1976
Nagin J. Shah
Director
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