Ilay Cooper

• Name — Ilay Cooper • Born — 10 March 1943 • Occupation — Art historian, author, photographer • Subject — South Asian Art • Notable Works — Purbeck Revealed (2004), The Square and Compass (2007), Arts and Crafts of India (1996), The Guide to Painted Towns of Shekhawati (1987) • Website — https: www.ilaycooper.com/ • Birthplace — Swanage, Dorset • Education — University of London • Relatives — Mary Welman, Gilbert "Gibby" Molesworth Welman • Years Active — 1970–2025

Cooper was born on 10 March 1943 and raised in Purbeck, Dorset, England. He studied geology and zoology at the University of London. After graduation, he returned to Purbeck but began extensive travels in South Asia, developing a lifelong interest in Indian and Pakistani mural art.

Cooper spent more than fifteen years in India and Pakistan, documenting wall paintings and murals in lesser-studied regions. He conducted extensive surveys of the painted havelis of Shekhawati, Rajasthan, documenting over 2,200 buildings between 1985 and 1987. He also researched Mughal murals in Lahore, Pakistan, supported in part by scholarships such as the Charles Wallace Trust. His publications and photographic archives contribute to the understanding of Mughal-era and regional wall paintings.

Cooper has written several books and articles about Purbeck, Dorset, including studies of local architecture, landscape, and cultural heritage. He has documented the geology of the region, including its historic quarries and building stones.

• “The Painted Walls of Churu, Jhunjhunu and Sikar Districts of Rajasthan,” Vol II, 1986 • “Man Singh to Maonda: Murals of North-East Rajasthan,” Vol VIII, 1992 • “Sikhs, Saints and Shadows of Angels: some Mughal Murals in Buildings along the North Wall of Lahore Fort,” Vol IX, 1993