Mughal Painting - History, Origin, Key Features, Growth & Decline of Mughal Paintings

Mughal paintings refer to a style of miniature painting. They developed during the reign of the Mughal Empire from the 16th to the 18th century. The Mughals patronized painting, literature, and architecture. Mughal emperors established the tradition of miniature painting at their courts. Mughal paintings show a synthesis of Persian, European, and Indian styles. They are renowned for their brilliance of color, the delicacy of execution, and the fusion of artistic traditions. This style of miniature painting reached its artistic zenith under Akbar and Jahangir.

Mughal Painting is one of the essential topics for UPSC IAS Aspirants. It is a subpart of Art and Culture. Candidates preparing for UPSC will find it helpful.

History & Origin of Mughal Paintings

• The Delhi Sultanate reigned over most of the Indian subcontinent prior to the emergence of the Mughal Empire.
• Miniature painting has been developing in many places since the 10th century, and it flourished in numerous regional courts throughout the Sultanate of Delhi.

• When Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, returned from exile, he took two renowned Persian artists – Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd al-Samad – with him.
• These Persian artists created several notable paintings, notably the ‘Khamsa of Nizami,’ based on Humayun’s directions.

• These paintings strayed from traditional Persian art, resulting in the birth of a new art form known as ‘Mughal Painting.’ Subsequent Mughal kings expanded on the Mughal paintings.
• The Tutinama (‘Tales of a Parrot’) Painting is the first example of the Mughal style of painting.

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Key Features of Mughal Paintings

Some key features of Mughal paintings are:

• The Mughal paintings are known as Mughal miniature paintings’ because of their small size.
• Mughal paintings represent a fusion of Persian, Indian, and European styles of art. They combine miniature traditions of Iran and Central Asia with local Indian traditions.
• Mughal paintings are known for their lavish use of gold and vibrant colors. The bright pigments create a rich visual canvas.
• Mughal paintings are characterized by fine detailing, delicate brushstrokes, and graded shading. These lend them a majestic quality. The scale was mostly miniature.
• Mughal paintings depicted court life, royal persons, landscapes, mythological scenes, and events from religious texts.
• Though not fully realistic, Mughal paintings aimed for contextual naturalism.
• Over time, individual painters emerged and developed distinct styles.

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Growth of the Mughal Painting Under Various Mughal Emperors

Mughal painting became popular among monarchs because it allowed them to portray themselves in a royal manner. It was also a way for them to show their bravery and accomplishments.

Let’s look at how Mughal painting evolved and grew during the reigns of several Mughal kings.

Growth of Mughal Paintings under Akbar

• Akbar was a great patron of the arts, and Mughal painting flourished during his reign.
• He commissioned many paintings and paid close attention to the details.
• Some of the most famous Mughal paintings were commissioned by Akbar, including the "Tutinama" and the "Hamzanama."
• Akbar's painters were influenced by both Persian and Indian art traditions.
• They developed a unique style of painting that was characterized by its use of rich colors, delicate brushwork, and complex compositions.

Growth of Mughal Paintings under Jahangir

• Jahangir was also interested in the arts and Mughal painting continued to flourish during his reign.
• He was influenced by European painting and instructed his painters to use a single-point perspective.
• As a result, Mughal paintings under Jahangir tended to have finer brushwork and warmer colors.
• Jahangir's painters also began to experiment with new techniques, such as the use of shading and shadow.

Growth of Mughal Paintings under Shah Jahan

• Shah Jahan commissioned a large number of paintings for his own library.
• These paintings were influenced by themes such as gardens and flowers.
• The "Padshahnama" was one of the most important works produced during his reign. It was a luxurious work that detailed the king's accomplishments.
• Shah Jahan's painters were known for their attention to detail and their use of vibrant colors.

Growth of Mughal Paintings under Aurangzeb

• Aurangzeb did not support or encourage any type of art, including painting.
• However, some of the best Mughal arts were created during his reign.
• These paintings were made by veteran painters who realized that Aurangzeb would eventually order the closing of the workshops.
• These paintings were characterized by their use of bold colors and their realistic portrayal of people and events.

Growth of Mughal Paintings under Muhammad Shah

• Muhammad Shah was a patron of the arts, and Mughal painting experienced a brief renaissance during his reign.
• He employed two of the best artists of the time, Nidha Mal and Chitarman.
• Their paintings often featured scenes from the royal court, feasts, festivals, the king's hunting experiences, and dangerous pastimes like hawking.

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Process of Mughal Paintings

• The majority of Mughal miniature paintings we encounter originated within manuscripts and royal albums, wherein both visual and textual elements coexisted within a defined format. 
• To create these book paintings, a specific procedure was followed. 
• First, sheets of handmade paper were meticulously prepared and trimmed to match the manuscript's dimensions. 
• A designated space was reserved for the artist to craft an appropriate visual composition. Subsequently, the pages were ruled and filled with text. 
• Once the textual content had been inscribed, it was handed over to the artist, whose task was to create a condensed visual representation of the written material. 
• The artist embarked on a journey that encompassed various stages, commencing with the composition itself (referred to as "tarh"), then moving on to portraits ("chiharanama"), and ultimately culminating in the application of colors ("rangamizi").

Techniques and Colours Used in Mughal Paintings

• Artists in the Mughal atelier were skilled in both painting and color production.
• Mughal paintings were created on handmade paper specifically crafted for this purpose.
• The colors used were opaque and sourced from natural materials, with pigments ground and mixed to achieve precise shades.
• Brushes made from squirrel or kitten hair were employed to apply the paint.
• In workshop settings, painting was a collaborative effort among a group of artists, with tasks such as basic draft drawing, color grinding, filling, and adding details typically divided among them.
• However, some paintings may have been created by a single artist.
• Early Mughal artworks were the result of teamwork, with each artist specializing in a particular aspect of the painting based on their comfort and expertise.
• Artists received incentives and salary increments based on their contributions to the work.
• The recorded names of master artists indicate their position and importance in the royal atelier.
• After completion, agate, a gemstone, was used to burnish the painting to set the colors and enhance its radiance.
• Various pigments and colors were derived from natural sources, including vermilion from cinnabar, ultramarine from Lapiz Lazuli, bright yellow from orpiment, shells for white, and lampblack from charcoal.
• Gold and silver powders were mixed with colors or sprinkled on paintings to add extravagance.

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Major Painters During Mughal Period

• Each painting project required the collaboration of multiple artists, each with specific roles.
• Some artists focused on the composition, while others handled the actual painting, and a third group concentrated on intricate details.
• Initially, Persian painters, like Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd al-Samad, played pivotal roles in the evolution of Mughal painting in India.
• In the 16th and 17th centuries, painters like Daswanth, Basawan, Miskin, and Lal were instrumental in sustaining Mughal art in the court.
• During Akbar's rule, an artist named Kesu Das introduced European techniques into Mughal paintings.
• The renowned painter Govardhan worked under three significant Mughal emperors: Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan.
• Other notable Mughal artists included Kamal, Mushfiq, and Fazl.
• As the Mughal Empire declined, many artists, including Bhawanidas and Dalchand, found employment in Rajput courts.

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The Decline of Mughal Painting

• Unfortunately, after Muhammad Shah’s death, the Mughal paintings began to decline.
• Various additional schools of painting with Mughal influence evolved in several provincial courts during the Mughal Empire’s decay, including Rajput and Pahari paintings.
• Almost all genres of Indian painting were influenced by Western art after the arrival of the British East India Company.
• With the arrival of Shah Alam II, art had practically vanished, and new schools of painting, known as Rajput paintings, began to emerge.

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Important Facts for UPSC Prelims

• During Jahangir’s time, he illustrated the Ayar-i-Danish, an animal storybook, as well as the Anwar-i-sunavli, another fable book.
• Other prominent examples of the Mughal School include a series of the Razm dated 1616 CE, a series of the Rasikapriya (1610-1615), and a series of the Ramayana dated about 1610 CE.

Conclusion

The Mughal art, on the other hand, had left an indelible impression and had spread to a number of local courts. Many Hindu paintings depicting the Ramayana and Mahabharata have Mughal influences, as many of these Hindu paintings were made during the peak of the Mughal school of painting.

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