Through close encounters with a hundred carefully handpicked works, spanning nearly a thousand years, and ranging from Jain manuscripts and Pahari and Mughal miniatures to Company School paintings, B.N. Goswamy unlocks the many treasures that lie within them. As he narrates the stories behind each work, and deciphers the visual vocabulary and language of the painters, he also brings to life the cultural, social and political milieu in which they were created. An illuminating introductory essay precedes the section on the 101 paintings Lavishly illustrated, and combining deep erudition with great story-telling, this is a book of enduring value that will delight the reader and teach him new ways of seeing and appreciating art.