INTRIGUING EXHIBITIONS IN LONDON: WOMEN IN THE MIDDLE AGES AND THE SPLENDOR OF THE MUGHAL DYNASTY IN CAPTIVATING BOOK ART
What would life be without art and culture? Because we value both as highly as you do, we would like to share with you some impressions that we gathered in the art metropolis of London, specifically at two international exhibition highlights: Medieval Women in Their Own Words in the British Library and The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence in the V&A. In each case, we were able to enjoy outstanding book art second to none.
The Diverse Lives of Medieval Women
The widely praised exhibition at the British Library does away with clichés about medieval women by bringing together various textual and pictorial artefacts in which those women mostly have their say in one way or another - whether directly, as they were authors themselves, for example, or indirectly as patrons of the objects in question. These include works by Christine de Pizan, the Hours of Joanna of Castile, the Luttrell Psalter, as well as the Egerton Tractatus de Herbis.
Wage labor was the standard for the average medieval woman
We learn of determined female politicians and capable female rulers, passionate mothers, influential visionaries and highly educated abbesses. It is repeatedly emphasized that wage labor was the norm for the average medieval woman and ranged from healthcare professions, field work, textile production and sex work to managing workshops such as printing houses and urban scriptoriums to literati and trobairitz (female troubadours). However, the gender pay gap was just as real as it is today.
Women were not only actively involved in the livelihood of their families, but also played valuable roles in the administrative organization of households, the upbringing of children and the social community, thus making central contributions to the persistence and transformation of medieval societies, even if these were usually made invisible.
Opulent Splendor from the Golden Age of the Mughals
At the same time, the Victoria & Albert Museum is showing an extensive special exhibition on the art of the Mughal dynasty, which ruled Central Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries. In several chapters, the exhibition traces the emergence of the characteristic style of this era, which was established primarily by court workshops that not only produced the most elaborate book art such as the Hamza-Nama, but were also widely renowned for works in various other materials such as textiles, wood, metals, mother-of-pearl, precious stones and ceramics.
The style of the Mughal era was shaped by court artists from all over Eurasia
Under the rule of three emperors in particular – Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan – art and culture flourished in an atmosphere of religious and ethnic tolerance. While the Mughals were Muslims, the majority of the population was Hindu. Persian was the official language of the scholars, while dozens of other languages were used in everyday life in the multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire. The period of relative inner peace led to immense wealth, the splendor of which is still inherent in all the exhibits today. The magnificent objects were without question a wonderful conclusion to our trip!
