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The Court
Those rare and beautiful articles which the sun, the moon, and
the rains have combined to bring into perfection.
A
b d u l - e r -
R
a z z a k ,
The royal courts, great houses and religious
institutions of India have been important patrons of the arts, and
it was often the work of guilds of artisans, attached to particular
institutions for generations, that maintained India's reputation
abroad as the source of the finest handwork on earth. The enormous
wealth of the Indian kingdoms attracted craftsmen, architects and
builders from the Indian subcontinent and other parts of Asia to
the imperial workshops.
India's temples, mosques and monastic complexes all function
in a social web that involvs the constant ceremonial use of art,
both created and performed.
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