Royal Portraits and Sacred Texts: Indian Paintings from the Collection of Vikram and Nalini Dogra

Author: Isabella Nardi
Publisher: Dogra Art Foundation, 2025
Hard cover with outer slipcover, 8 3/8 x 10 1/2 inches
146 pages

Authored by Isabella Nardi, Royal Portraits and Sacred Texts is a landmark exhibition catalogue exploring forty masterpiece Indian miniature paintings from the private collection of Vikram and Nalini Dogra. The volume examines the dualistic relationship between earthly sovereignty and spiritual devotion, highlighting how rulers used visual culture to project divine legitimacy across regional South Asian artistic traditions. The text features intricate cosmological paintings, traditional Bārahmāsā seasonal cycles, and lyrical Rāgamālās. Through detailed analysis, Nardi illustrates how these diverse traditions act as a bridge between secular authority and sacred narratives.