Creative sparks: how the Mughal empire made opulent art with power

The V&A’s Great Mughals shines a light on a cultured and enlightened reign over India and south Asia that still wields influence today. Take a close look at some of the remarkable artefacts of that era

Perhaps the best known cultural remnant of the mighty Mughal empire, which held sway across& what is today Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India and Bangladesh in the 16th and 17th centuries, is the English word “mogul”, denoting someone of& almost unimaginable wealth and power. Just how wealthy and powerful the Mughal emperors were is demonstrated in a new exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum, which can afford to offer the best known physical remnant of the empire, the Taj Mahal, only passing mention among a galaxy of remarkable paintings, illustrated manuscripts, textiles, carpets and spectacular objects made from precious stones and& metals, some of which have rarely& been displayed before.

“Of course we nod to the Taj Mahal,” explains curator Susan Stronge. “And we have architectural drawings and models. But it is just one, admittedly exceptional, part of& a& much larger story.”