Artistic Mediations Between the Mughal Empire and Medici Florence: A Cross-Cultural Study of Techniques and Iconography Through Hardstone Inlays

Author

• Matteo Bellucci, CUNY Graduate CenterFollow

Date of Degree

6-2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Art History

Advisor

Molly Emma Aitken

Committee Members

James Saslow

Nebahat Avcioglu

Stephen John Campbell

Subject Categories

Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture | Arts and Humanities | Asian Art and Architecture | History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology

Keywords

Mughal, inlay, pietre dure, Orpheus, Medici, hardstone, parchin kari, jharokha, Red Fort, Florence

Abstract

Beginning in the sixteenth century, expanding networks of trade and diplomacy linked South Asia and Europe, generating new forms of cultural exchange. This dissertation focuses on one such case: the artistic exchange between the Mughal Empire and Medici Florence, particularly at the level of their courts. My aim is to explore modalities of engagement with foreign art characteristic of early modern elites. These encounters stimulated intellectual curiosity on both sides, encouraging the acquisition of foreign artistic products, and giving rise to generative artistic engagements. Mughal elites generally drew associations with familiar imagery – including literature and the material world – producing parallels that carried both philosophical and playful dimensions. In select cases, this approach could result in forms of convergence between similar images or techniques.

The central focus is parchin kari, a Mughal inlay technique that emerged in the early seventeenth century through the convergence of South Asian inlay traditions and the Florentine art of pietre dure. For Mughal audiences, parchin kari inlays resonated with both European and South Asian visual traditions, thereby generating layered meanings that invited poetic interpretation. Ultimately, they revealed a degree of mutual intelligibility, conveying Mughal worldliness and articulating reflections on Mughal imperial authority.

Recommended Citation

Bellucci, Matteo, "Artistic Mediations Between the Mughal Empire and Medici Florence: A Cross-Cultural Study of Techniques and Iconography Through Hardstone Inlays" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6724