Review critiques T. Richard Blurton's book 'India: A History in Objects' for colonial omissions

A review in ArtReview scrutinizes T. Richard Blurton's publication 'India: A History in Objects', published by Thames & Hudson. The book surveys artifacts from the British Museum, spanning from Palaeolithic tools around 1 million BCE to contemporary art by Bharti Kher. Blurton's narrative covers South Asia, including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, highlighting figures like the Buddha, Mahavira, and Emperor Ashoka (c. 268–232 BCE). However, the review criticizes the author for downplaying colonial history, noting that objects like a sword looted from Tipu Sultan's capital Seringapatam lack context on how they reached Britain. Credits to Western collectors such as Beatrice de Cardi, the Bridge family, and Sir Harold Arthur Deane are mentioned without exploring colonial implications. The introduction is framed as targeting non-South Asians, suggesting the book serves Western museum interests. Blurton's approach is seen as trivializing, with comments on color in South Asian culture called banal, and the focus on unearthed objects obscuring why some remained hidden. The relationship between urban empires and upland areas is examined, alongside trade networks showing historic cosmopolitanism. Yet, the review argues that objects alone offer limited insight, especially without addressing Hindu ascendency before the 19th century or the colonial impulse behind 'Company painting'. The hardcover is priced at £30.