Mark of the Mughals Sackler Display Includes Intricately Detailed Paintings From Ancient India by Michael Coleman The spectacular art at the Smithsonianís new National Museum of the American Indian is sure to grab the attention of Washington museum-goers over the next few months, but another Indian exhibition right down the street offers a dazzling display of its own. "Arts of Mughal India," a new collection at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, contains about 30 works, including brilliantly colored, intricately detailed manuscript paintings, as well as luxury objects in jade and lacquered wood. The pieces provide a glimpse into the conceptually creative and technically innovative tradition of Mughal painting and its lasting impact on the courts of Rajput India and Safavid Iran. The exhibition not only forces viewers to marvel at the attention to detail and exquisite preservation of these 500-year-old works, it also provides a tutorialóalthough not always easy to followóin Indian art and regional history. According to the curators, the conquest of Northern India by Babur in the early 16th century ushered in one of the most remarkable political, cultural and artistic periods in the history of the subcontinent. Babur was a direct descendent of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, who died in 1227, and the Turkic warlord Timur, who established the Timurid dynasty in Iran and Central Asia. Babur and his successors were known as the "Mughals," a derivation of the word "Mongol." The Mughals ruled over India until 1858. Their wealth and opulence impressed foreign visitors so much that the term "mogul" eventually became an English word meaning a person of power and wealth. Many of the images depict intense action, including hunting, gamesmanship and war. "Dara-Shikuh Hunting Nilgais," for example, depicts Dara-Shikuh in a forest clearing as he shoots what appears to be an antelope. The lush vegetation suggests an intensely wild setting and adds considerable drama to the intricate piece. Another composition, "Army in Procession," is a double-page piece that exemplifies the Mughalsí reverence for their Central Asian ancestry. The pieces center on the gold-clad figure of Timur during his conquest of Aleppo and Damascus in 1400. The energy is invigorating and the attention to detail exquisite. Not all of the works are so aggressive. "Maiden Standing Under a Willow Tree" is a gentle, luminescent piece by Safavid painter Shaykh Abbasi. This work, the caption tells us, is most closely associated with the "Indianized" style of painting in 17th-century Iran. The drawing of a young woman in Indian attire fronting a willowy landscape is the artistís earliest extant work. The Mughals expressed a deep appreciation for art, and after Akbar, who reigned from 1556 to 1605, consolidated Mughal power in Northern India, a distinct artistic tradition began to emerge. Akbarís wide-ranging interests encouraged the extensive production of illustrated Hindu and Muslim epics, historical narratives and portraiture. Akbarís son Jahangir (reigned 1605-27) was more interested in highly finished individual compositions and portraits, drawing on both Persian pictorial ideals and European naturalism. During the reign of his successor, Shah Jahan (1628-57), patron of the Taj Mahal, Mughal fascination with portraiture reached its peak. The naturalism of earlier Mughal painting evolved into highly formal portraits, transforming figures into iconic images of power and grandeur. One of the most striking paintings in the exhibitionóand one that reflects the more highly formal portraitsóis titled simply "Two Lovers." The portrait, by Bahram Sufrakish, depicts an embracing couple. The composition is highly stylized, and the subjects seem to have a greater sense of weight and volume than in other works in the exhibition. "Arts of Mughal India" offers Sackler visitors an excellent opportunity to observe rare works of beauty and learn something about one of the worldís most important regions at the same time. "Arts of Mughal India" runs through Feb. 6 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave., SW. For more information, please call (202) 633-1000 or visit www.asia.si.edu. Michael Coleman is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.