The Printress of the Mughal Garden

Brigitte Singh first came to Sanganer, Jaipurs hand blockprinting centre, as a student of miniatures, and today, 30 years later, the visual almanac of her work gives us a truly alternate way to read medieval and modern civilisational encounters through the evolution and transmission of motifs and craft techniques over centuries. Singhs exquisite work with blockprints is a form of re-enacted design history, rendered in visual rather than textual terms. Uncovering and reaching down to the purer forms, to the composite aesthetic of the 18th century, it offers a singular source of access to a seminal epoch in design. This volume illustrates how Singh has approached her craft with an archaeological devotion, peeling off dusty layers from the long-obscured story of blockprinting in the subcontinent. Her work yields a truly Indian aesthetic, fully formed and yet open to influences, full of grand narratives but so dense with detail and meaning that in every telling, something new and essential is revealed both to the raconteur and the audience. With Introduction by Laila Tyabji, and contributions by Jasleen Dhamija, Rosemary Crill, Jacqueline Thome Jacque, Michel Biehn, Sheela Reddy, Paola Manfredi, Chandramani Singh, Sunil Menon and Aleta Bartel. See more