Indian Painting under the Mughals, A.D. 1550 to A.D. 1750 c11.18

c11.18

Now, however, that these artistic remains of such a remarkable dynasty have been entrusted to our keeping, it behoves us to make every effort to exhibit them so that they are accessible to the intelligent public, and at the same time protected from abrasion or decay. To ensure that both these conditions are observed is not an easy matter. Their delicate nature makes it almost essential that each miniature should be kept under glass. Where we have to deal with a separate specimen no difficulties arise in putting this into effect, as it may be placed between two sheets of glass and sealed up with adhesive tape. Different climates may demand modifications or alterations of such a simple method, but it has been found generally satisfactory. To carry out this plan, however, in the case of an illustrated book or a *muraqqa‘* raises many debatable issues, as it necessitates taking the pictures out of the volume and mounting them separately. As a rule the miniatures in a *muraqqa‘* have no connexion with one another—a *muraqqa‘* is literally a scrap-book—so that there should be no hesitation in opening these out and glazing each picture by itself. If retained as a book, and allowed in the hands of the public, the constant turning over of the folios rubs and wears the surface no matter how well protected, and the painting suffers accordingly. With book illustrations the same trouble arises, although oriental readers endeavour to obviate this, as they have acquired the habit of turning over the leaves of a manuscript in one particular way, which reduces wear and tear to a minimum. Opening the book at the oriental beginning (the occidental *end*) the student takes each folio by the left-hand bottom corner, passing from page to page in this manner—so confining all wear to one place. Such a method, however, does not prevent damage to the illustrations, the surface of which after much use becomes abraded while the paper often splits in the most alarming fashion. The question to be decided is whether the manuscript is to be regarded as Literature or Art, for it cannot continue to be preserved as both. If it is classified as the latter, the illustrations should be carefully extracted, each one glazed as described, and then kept in a separate case as a supplementary volume to the literary part of the work.