Course 21 – Summer School On Campus
Monday 13 – Friday 17 July 2026
Dr Mehreen Chida-Razvi
£695
Course Description
The Mughal dynasty (1526-1858), which at its peak ruled over almost the entirety of the South Asian peninsula, was renowned as having one of the most luxurious courts of the early modern era. It was known throughout Asia and Europe as a centre of wealth, magnificence, and opulence, a reputation enhanced by the sophisticated creations of its imperial workshops. Masters of their respective crafts, court artists produced paintings, jewellery, bejewelled objects, carpets, textiles, and architectural marvels which were not only beautiful, but which served to create and promote a visual language of power and prestige indicative of the Mughal emperors’ divine right to rule.
This course will explore and examine the arts of the Mughal empire, focusing primarily on courtly production of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Covering great illustrated manuscripts and albums of paintings and portraits, intricately carved jade and emeralds, imperial palaces, the Taj Mahal, and the finest silks, muslins, and velvets, we will see how royal patrons and the artists in their employ worked together to create a legacy of beauty, luxury, and power.
Lecturer's Biography
Dr Mehreen Chida-Razvi is an Art Historian whose expertise is on the art, architecture, and material culture of Mughal South Asia, particularly of the 17th century. She is a Research Associate in the Department of the History of Art at SOAS, University of London; is an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Islamic Architecture; and works as a specialist lecturer on cultural tours. Mehreen regularly lectures on Islamic and Indo-Islamic art in London at SOAS and the Victoria & Albert Museum, and has contributed courses to the Courtauld Summer School programme since 2012. She has published extensively on Mughal art and architecture, and shares her expertise with public audiences through her participation in and consultation for documentaries on the Taj Mahal; programming on BBC World Service Radio, BBC2 and BBC4; podcasts; and regular participation in the Lahore Literary Festival.