Goa and the Great Mughal The diverse and rich artistic forms of the Mughal Empire have been of international inspiration. While relations between the Mughal world and other European powers have been studied many times, the mutual influence on art, taste and style between the Portuguese and Mughal empires has not. For the Portuguese, based in their capital of Goa since 1... more »510, their survival on the Indian sub-continent depended on the success of this relationship. This provided a backdrop for a relationship that lasted over two hundred years and took several forms: Commercial, Political, Religious and Artistic. This relationship is examined in an exhibition at the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian in June 2004 which will display the documentary and artistic works resulting from this cross-influence on objects, tastes and styles, manifested in caskets, cabinets, religious artefacts, jewellery, carpets, sculpture, pottery, paintings and miniatures. This fascinating book, published to accompany the exhibition, covers the period from the 1570's ,the moment of the first direct contact between the Portuguese and the Mughal Empire to the first half of the eighteenth century, when the last direct diplomatic relations took place. The exquisite pieces are illustrated in full colour and accompanied by a group of specially commissioned studies by acknowledged specialists. The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian holds some fine examples, but the exhibition is international, with contributors including the Victoria and Albert Museum, The British Museum, The British Library, the Musee Guimet, Paris and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.« less