The Pre-History of Illustrating the Bhagavata Purana and Its Continuation in Later Times

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Exhange of Babes, ca. 450 CE. Devgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. Photo by Daniel Ehnbohm.

The Pre-History of Illustrating the Bhagavata Purana and Its Continuation in Later Times

Instructor: 
Daniel Ehnbom
When: 
September 22, 2020
Time: 
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Place: 
Zoom Webinar
Fee: 
$15 per person Society members; $20 per person non-members. Advance registration must be received by the SAA by September 15, 2020.

Advance registration is now closed.

It seems obvious that a text cannot be illustrated before it is composed, but as it so often does India provides exceptions. Notable among these is the Bhagavata Purana, composed (in South India?) around the end of the 1st millennium of the Common Era. When illustrated versions of the text finally merge in the 16th century, they draw on and elaborate a rich visual tradition preserved in stone that well predates the composition of the text itself and continues into the modern period.

Daniel Ehnbom received his PhD From the University of Chicago. In the last few years, he was Adjunct Curator of Asian Art at the University of Virginia Art Museum and was formerly Director of the UVA Center for South Asian Studies. He is the author of numerous books and articles including Indian Miniatures: The Ehrenfeld Collection and The Realms of Earth and Sky: Indian Painting from the 15th to the 19th Century. He retired from the McIntire Department of Art in May 2020.

A Zoom confirmation email with information on how to join the webinar will be sent to all registered attendees the week of September 14. Even though it is not required by Zoom, we recommend that you download and install Zoom on your computer or mobile device in advance, and set yourself up with a free account. Attendees will have a chance to participate in the Q&A with a text chat function.

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