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Splendors of Punjab Heritage: Art from the Khanuja Family Collection

Book

Publications

Complete Citation

  • Taylor, Paul Michael, editor. 2022. Splendors of Punjab Heritage: Art from the Khanuja Family Collection. 1st ed. New Delhi, India: Roli Books.

Overview

Abstract

  • This volume compiles in a succinct and visually compelling way a lasting record of the remarkable collection of Punjabi artworks and historical memorabilia representing the cultural history of the Punjab, assembled by Dr. Parvinderjit Singh Khanuja and his family. The range of the collection is vast, reflecting the depth and variety of Punjabi artistic achievements -- collectively forming a catalog of value to many fields, presenting well-described objects arranged not in chronological order, but rather in the form of pictorial essays on selected highly iconic themes in the tangible and intangible cultural history of the Punjab. Four of the chapters are on highly prized artistic media or types of material (textiles, coins, weapons and related elements of the Sikh martial tradition, illustrations and photography), while one chapter compiles images of Sikh Gurdwaras (temples). Others compile a range of artistic expressions from the Khanuja Family Collection about key aspects of (or personages in) the history and philosophy of Sikhism and the Sikh polity in the Punjab through time (the Gurus, Banda Singh Bahadur and the Misl Period; Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the later Sikh Empire; and the Princely States of the Punjab). A concluding chapter brings together examples from this collection that, according to the collector Dr. Khanuja, express the concept of "Panjabiyat." The resulting catalog or sourcebook of Punjabi history and art, drawn from the Khanuja Family Collection, is a unique and significant compilation that will be useful to scholars in many fields.

Editors

Publication Date

  • 2022