Political lines

An ongoing exhibition at the Thyssen-Bornemisza

Museum of Art in Madrid,Into India: South Asian Paintings,explores the influences that political rulers had on Indian art,beginning with the 11th century when the tradition of illuminating manuscripts began in Buddhist monasteries. Divided into four sections,the chronological display begins with indigenous Indian works and those produced for foreign clients from the 15th century. The second section features illumination of books of Persian poetry,and the third has works made under the Mughal rule. The final section comprises works produced for British traders and civil servants. The works are from the one of the most-acclaimed collections of 12th-19th century South East Asian art,that of Edwin Binney III,and displayed at the The San Diego Museum of Art.