The Art of Mughal Miniature painting

Introduction:
The Indian paintings can be categorized into two main classes- Murals, which refer to paintings done on
walls for example - paintings of Ajanta Caves. Another type is Miniature paintings that refers to
paintings done on some material like - Books, cloth, paper etc. Miniatures are small sized paintings.

Mughal Paintings: When we talk about Mughal paintings, we talk about Miniature paintings done
during the reign of Mughal Emperors who ruled over India from early 16th to mid-19th century.

#History: The art of paintings in the Mughal age, draws its resemblance from Persian style of paintings.
The Mughal, descendants of Timur and Genghis Khan felt strong cultural ties to the Persian world and
imparted the same with their rule when conquered India. With passage of time it became Indianized and
acquired distinct character of its own.

Important Aspects of Mughal Miniature Paintings

● Unlike European paintings, Mughal paintings were the output of collaborative effort.
● Mughal paintings began by borrowing from Persian technique and Bihzad ‘qalam’ was in the way
bodily Persian style was completely amalgamated with the Indian tradition.
● Subject : Main subjects that is illustrated in mughal paintings were generally king, nobles ,the one
who work under mughal emperor have little choice in field of theme to be adopted , their main
focus was on doing illustration of books - ‘Baburnama’, ‘Akbarnama” and in doing narrative
deeds of Emperor
● It should be noted that paintings under mughals are meant for pleasure of princess and nobles
,hence paintings did not depict scenes from daily life of Indians
○ Mughal school of painting occupies a respectable place in history of Indian paintings. A
large number of paintings of varied types were prepared - portraits of Emperor ,nobles,
hunting scenes , figures of Birds, animals etc. These paintings also became an important
medium to narrate tales of mughal emperors which gives deep insight of life of the
mughal emperors .
● Materials : Painters used materials which are easily available .Mainly it were done on handmade
papers,clothes ,ivory slabs. They used colour made from crouch ivory ,colourful pebbles from
bed of rivers and indigo and torn vegetables .
● Mughal paintings shows keen appreciation for nature. We find numerous pictures of birds,
animals ,flowers .
● They attached great importance to use of Bright colours like - red ,Blue .Golden colour
considered to be symbol of prosperity
 ● The most outstanding feature of mughal paintings was the minutness of treatment, decorative
composition, the extremely fine and short outline, the free use of gold on costumes and
background, and the application of elaborately designed patterns to the garments , trapping and
accessories.
● Figures of paintings gradually began to lose their mongoloid ethnic features in favor of perfect
Indian form: aquiline nose, fish shaped eyes and broad shoulders and chest. The landscapes in
which these figures were situated also took on a distinctly Indian feel as Chinese model began to
be replaced with more Indian scenes of jungles and plains.

Babur(1526-30 C.E) :
The founder of Muslim rule in India was a great lover of painting .However, it does not appear that he
made any effort to foster art in India. The main source of information of paintings during his reign is his
memoir ‘Baburnama’, but it should be noted that Babur himself did not believe in atelier culture . He was
greatly impressed by the paintings of Bihzad,the court painter of Sultan Hussain of Herat. The most of
paintings of his era were very similar to models of from khurasan, transoxania and Tabriz . We can say
that, paintings did not flourish as much in babur reign because of two main reasons - first because of his
short political reign and secondly he never patronised celebrated artist .

The Battle of panipat

Illustration: The painting shows battle scene fought between Ibrahim lodhi and Babur . The hills are
shown in background , the battlefield of Panipat is a flat plain .Drummers are beating to influence courage
.On top of painting is shown the town of Panipat .

Humayun:
The legacy of Babur was handed down to his successor Humayun( 1530 - 56 C.E), who laid the
foundation of Mughal paintings in India. When Humayun took exile in persia after his defeat at the hands
of Sher Shah ,he came in contact with two persian master painters Mir syed Ali pupil of Bihzad and
Khwaja Abdus Samad, he took both of them in his services and entrusted them with job of illustrating the
famous work Dastan-i -Amir Hamzah (history of islamic hero -Hamza) but this work continued in time of
Akbar also .These artists writes, Hambly, laid the foundation of the Mughal style which emerged from its
Persian chrysalis as an indigenous achievement in which Indian elements blended harmoniously with the
traditions of Iran and Central Asia. During humayun era Indian realism was introduced and hindu artists

came in contact with him.

Illustration of paintings under Humayun are because of its nature not because of its signing . The above
painting is made by Mir Syed Ali . It has been executed on cloth ,quite large in size .it has been suggested
that it probably relates to Mongol Tradition of having painting in their tents . In this painting mughal
emperor Humayun is surrounded by his Timurid ancestors. Painting depict a feast of garden pavilion .A
persian style landscape with gold sky ,tress ,birds and figures in Background who are preparing food. The
painting is on fine cotton fabric.

Akbar :
Under Akbar (1556- 1605 C.E) ,the art of painting underwent a radical change . Akbar transformed it
from being an aid to idolatry to means to teach the existence of god.He established a separate department
of painting under Abul samad and Mir Sayyid .Akbar extended patronage to both Hindu and Muslim
painters like -Abdus Samad of Shiraz ,Mir Sayyid Ali. Abul Fazl has mentioned the names of the
following Hindu painters in the Ain-i- Akbari: Daswant,Basswan,Keso Lal ,Mukund ,Madho ,Jagan
Nath ,Mahes, Khen Karan,Tara Sanwalah,Haribans and Ram. In addition to painter sectional the school
contained a decorational section staffed by ornamental Artist ,Gilders,line drawers and pagers. This
tradition of fusion states Tara Chand that “Mughal Art was not altogether an offshoot of Central Asian
and Persian Style but development of ancient art under new impulses”

Subjects: The paintings of Akbar’s time dealt with subjects from all walks of life no profession left
untouched. Naturalism were an addition as subject ,and the illustration events were enclosed within
detailed objects lying in surrounding.

Another important development during the time of Akbar was the development of Fresco painting on
pattern of Ajanta . The Akbar gave art every encouragement and he looks upon it as a mean of both study
and amusement The defining feature of paintings in Akbar period are the use of three dimensional figures
and continued use of foreshortening.
The Emperor also turned attention to improvement of materials used in paintings There is also change of
style while looking at the paintings done during his era.
.
The Tuti-Nameh (first work of mughal school) shows the Mughal style in process of formation: the
hands of artist belonging to the various non -mughals tradition is clearly recognizable ,the style also
reveals an intense effort to cope with demand of new patron.
.

The transition is achieved in Dastan-e- Amir Hamzeh (Hamzanama) in which the uncertainties are
overcome in homogeneous style, quite unlike persian work in its leaney toward naturalism and filled with
swift vigorous movement and bold colours .The forms are individually modelled , except for the
geometrical ornament used as architectural decor ,the figures are superbly interrelated in closely unified
composition in which depth is indicated by preference for diagonal and much attention is paid to
expression of emotion.

Akbar slays a tigress which attacked the royal cavalcade

Composed by Baswan and painted by Tara

Akbarnama Painting, Abul Fazl presenting Akbarnama to Akbar, 1605 A.D

Jahangir:
During the reign of Jahangir(1605-27 C.E.), manuscripts became less important than individual pictures.
Artistic decisions were made by the emperor himself which consequently led to the introduction of new
stylistic elements. Brushwork became finer and the colours lighter.Jahangir would receive gifts of oil
paintings from the British crown. These european paintings influenced his aesthetic taste and he
encouraged his royal ateliar (established primarily at Allahabad) to take up the single point perspective
against the flattened multi-layered style used in traditional miniatures. The theme broadly included events
from his own life,individual portraits,studies of birds,flowers and animals. The ‘Jahagirnama’ has several
such illustrations.
Calligraphy samples were mounted onto pages with decorative borders and then bound with stamped and
gilded or painted and lacquered leather. Jahangir’s paintings seemed to accentuate a formalist style,i.e.
making the work realistic and preferring the precise recording of contemporary reality. The paintings also
have broad margins gorgeously decorated with plant motifs. Aqa Riza, Abul Hasan, Mansur, Bishan
Das, Manohar, Goverdhan, Balchand, Daulat, Mukhlis, Bhim and Inayat were the famous painters in
the court of Jahangir.
Artists
Ustad Mansur was a court artist of Jahangir, who specialised in depicting plants and animals. He is
best known for two paintings one of which was a siberian crane and another was of a Bengal
Florican. He is also remembered for a famous painting on Dodo, a now extinct bird.Out of the above
mentioned painters, Bishandas was praised by the emperor as “unrivalled in the art of portraiture”. In
1613, Bishandas was sent on a diplomatic mission to Persia, to paint the Shah’s portrait. He remained
there for seven years and returned happily with an elephant as gift.
The provincial Mughal school of painting
Inspired by their overlord, the Mughal courtiers and the provincial officers started patronizing the
artists trained in the Mughal technique of painting.At the same time, we have been told that Jahangir
had a passion for perfect artists. The artists with inferior merits lost their jobs and sought
employment in the provinces. Thus, during those times, the artists who were employed in the
Imperial Government were known as the first grade artists.The works accomplished by these first
grade artists is known as the Imperial Mughal Painting. But the artists available to the provinces were
of inferior merit, thus, the works accomplished in the provinces was known as ‘Popular Mughal’ or
‘Provincial Mughal’ painting, which possessed all the important characteristics of the Imperial
Mughal painting with some inferior quality. The example paintings of the provincial Mughal
paintings are Razm-nama( persian translation of Mahabharata), Rasikapriya and Ramayana, all of
which were created in the initial two decades of 17th century.
The drawing of cranes in ink on paper may have been done by Mansur, one of the leading artists of the Mughal court
in the early 17th century, during the reign of Jahangir (r. 1605-1627). The emperor's memoirs show him to have
been keenly interested in all aspects of the natural world. He kept a pair of saras cranes for at least five years,
studying them carefully and interspersing his account of the events of courtly life with details about the birds'
nesting habits.Mansur was given the title "Nadir al-asr", or Wonder of the Age, by Jahangir, and was renowned for
his studies of birds, animals and flowers. Minor corrections may be seen in the drawing. For one of the birds, an
alternative leg has been drawn and partly erased.

Jahangir on a lion hunt,1615 C.E.

Shah Jahan:
From the earliest conquests of Babur which were later enlarged and consolidated by Akbar and Jahangir,
the Mughal Empire joined those of the Ottomans and Safavid Persia as one of the three leading powers of
the Islamic world and came to be known as the Empire of the ‘Great Moghul’. The ethnic intermixing in
the Mughal court that is inclusion of Rajput chieftains and the like to function alongside the Muslim
nobles, orchestrated for political gains demanded for the Emperor to live up to a ‘larger than life’ image
to appeal to his subjects.Under the rule of Shah Jahan (1628-1658 C.E.) the political role assigned to the
arts, and the emperor’s function as the supreme administrator of his court-led state, meant that he sought
to assert as close a control over his artists as over his amirs and mansabdars. One of the most important
works produced during his reign was the ‘Padshanama’ illustrated during the 1640s which is an immediate
expression of the strict control subjected on the artists by the Emperor. The Padshahnama illustrations
systematised and transformed trends set by the Jahangirnama. The fundamental component of miniature
paintings, in terms of composition and figure arrangement, as well as antithetical stylistic modes, were
systematically explored to political ends, to create programmatic statements of order and hierarchy, the basic
tenets of Shah-Jahan’s ideology. The main focus was on static court assemblies or darbar scenes, court
festivities, the spectacle of the elephant fight, scenes of military action and imperial hunt. The miniatures of
Shahjahan's reign are characterized by resplendent costumes, arms, and armour, ornamented columns, the
abundant use of gold pigments and bright colours, contrasting strongly with the naturalism of Jahangiri
paintings.

“Shah Jahan on Horseback”, Folio from The Shah Jahan Album,verso: ca. 1630; recto: ca. 1530–50
(painted by Prayag)
Aurangzeb:
Under Aurangzeb, who held increasingly orthodox Sunni beliefs, there was a sharp decline in the Mughal
patronage of arts. Painting as an art was largely ignored during his time and became confined to the
studios of the nobles.There exist some commissioned portraits of the nobles and their relations from the
courts of the Rajput principalities. There exist only a few paintings of the emperor during his campaigns.
Aurangzeb’s lack of interest in painting reduced all the more the number of court painters. Several artists
dismissed from his court found shelter in the courts of several Hindu and Muslim provincial rulers. It
resulted in the development of painting in Rajasthan and the Punjab hills (Pahari Painting). During the
18th century, many Mughal trained artists left the imperial workshop to work at Rajput courts. These
include artists such as Bhawanidas and his son Dalchand.

The Emperor Aurangzeb Carried on a Palanquin,circa. 1705–20 C.E.

The emperor Aurangzeb (r. 1656–1707) and his royal hunting party are shown here in one of the final
grand imperial images of the Mughal era. Preparations for the chase are in progress, as evident from the
row of hunters in the foreground and others who lead deer as bait or carry leafy screens for camouflage.
Bhavanidas, painter of this scene, worked first at the Mughal court and then later moved to the Rajput
court of Kishangarh, where he became its preeminent artist.

Later Mughals:
The emperors that followed Aurangzeb, were too weak and the state too poor to support the production of
sumptuous paintings and books as before.During the reign of Muhammad Shah(1719-48 C.E.), Mughal
painting received a brief revival as he was a patron of arts. He encouraged and supported paintings, and two of
the best artists - Nidha Mal and Chitarman - of the time served in his court. Their paintings often depicted
scenes of the royal court, celebrations, festivals, hunting experiences of the king and adventurous games like
hawking.
The 1739 raid of Delhi by Nadir Shah however caused much of the city to flee and the artist community to be
permanently dispersed.

Portrait of Muhammad Shah

Painting, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, portrait of the emperor Muhammad Shah (1719-1748). The
emperor is depicted seated on a low gold throne, facing left, wearing a white robe and turban with a gold girdle and
turban band, and with gold chains on his neck and left arm. He also wears a double pearl necklace. A punch dagger
is in his girdle, and a falcon is perched on his outstretched right hand. One of his ministers stands before him, and
behind is a chowrie bearer, both wearing white. They are all on a white terrace next to a grey river with green banks
of the opposite shore in the distance.

Technique of painting and life in the royal atelier

Mughal miniatures were small (many not more than a few square inches), brightly colored, and highly
detailed paintings mostly used to illustrate manuscripts and art books. Despite their tiny sizes, they are
incredibly precise, with some lines painted using brushes composed of a single hair. Certain attributes
define the style of painting that flourished in the empire. The characters are fixed, but the hues of the
paintings are vibrant and full of life. The bright, jewel-like colors evoke the dazzling hues still beloved in
contemporary India: vivid saris and Holi powders, bright orange desserts and multicolored cargo trucks.
The vivid colors are as constant in the paintings as the emphasis on courtly pleasure.
Each tiny work required an immense amount of technical skill. Before any painting was actually done, the
paper was cut to size and polished to such a degree that no ink would absorb into the material. The
workload was divided into outlining and coloring tasks, with many different artists assisting in the same
illustration. Even as individual artists began to take credit for their work, the labor-intensive paintings
were still the result of collaboration between an enormous workshop. Portraits of the artists often show
them wearing glasses. The majority of miniature paintings were completed by younger artists; the intense
level of scrutiny required to paint such tiny details meant weary, overused eyes simply weren’t up for the
job.
The rich inks were frequently made from minerals like copper salts or cinnabar (viridian and red,
respectively), but also from more biological sources, like insects, which were used to conjure crimson.
The particularly vivid yellow found in the paintings has an unlikely source: the urine from cows specially
fed on mango leaves.

Conclusion:
Indian miniature painting had existed in various forms since the 9th century, but there was no cohesive
vision. Certain styles began to coalesce in the 15th century, but it wasn’t until the Mughal Empire was
established in 1526 that miniature painting came into its own. Mughal miniatures are a blend of the bold,
vivid colors favored by Indian painters; the fine, delicate lines preferred by Persian painters; and a
European influence from artists like Albrecht Durer
, brought to India by Jesuit missionaries. Just like the empire they came from, Mughal miniatures drew
from India, Persia, and Europe to create something entirely new.
Themes and subjects were selected by the imperial masters rather than the artists themselves. The
thematic contents of the painting reflect the personal tastes and temperaments, prides and preferences,
fashions, pleasures and pastimes of the individual imperial patrons and the nobles of the court. The atelier
was provided with the best of paper and other related material. Colours and pigments were sourced from
natural resources and processed. Painting tools were made using the animal hair, guills etc. Gold and
silver were also generously used to incorporate a very rich visual approach to the manuscripts.

References

1. Chandra,Satish.,(1925).History of Medieval India.New Delhi:Orient

Blackswan
2. Sarafan,Sarafan.,(2007).Artistic Stylistic Transmission in the Royal Mughal
Atelier.
3. Titley, Norah M.,(1983).Persian Miniature Painting, and its Influence on
the Art of Turkey and India.United States of America: University of Texas
Press.