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The artistic style of Mughals has always been considered a ‘Home of Art’. The keen interest of Mughals in arts nurtured various forms of art like calligraphy, painting, architecture, etc. Hence, this outlook of Mughals has brought up the sophisticated aesthetics of Mughal Culture that has always been admired and thus gave birth to The Mughal School of Miniature Painting.

The Mughal School of Miniature Painting

The Mughal School of Miniature Painting was a critical development of the Sixteenth Century in the northern Indian subcontinent. The Mughal School of Miniature Painting was grounded on the style of Miniature painting that inspired successive schools and classes of Indian painting. It adored the charm of the diverse range of miniature-style paintings that continued till the mid-nineteenth century. Moreover, it has a sophisticated technique that highlights the contribution of the Mughals’ sense of taste and penchants.

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The Mughal School of Miniature Painting Style

As mentioned, The Mughal School of Miniature painting is inspired by the miniature style. It was further integrated into three styles that are:

  • Indigenous
  • Persian
  • European

Furthermore, it would be interesting to know that the inspiration of Mughal art depicting various cultures and styles finally turned out to be the melting pot of vibrant styles because of the exclusive style of the miniature.

Key Features of Mughal Painting:

The microscopic detailing of Mughal painting resulted from choosing the tools, colours, canvas from natural sources and giving them shape to make a sharp use to craft the splendid artwork.

With that, let’s uncover the hardships involved in the making of every piece of Mughal Painting:

  • To craft Mughal paintings and keep the essence of diverse culture alive in paintings, the artist ensured the usage of handmade paper
  • To bring up the emotions of the artwork, the colours used in the paintings were extracted from natural sources. These colours were opaque and involved the process of grinding and mixing pigments
  • The sprinkle of gold and silver powders was the power material of the painting that were helpful to enhance the royal effect of the painting
  • The variety of brushes for designing the art were manufactured using the hair of squirrels or kittens that helped in the smooth flair of applying paints
  • Creating artwork requires the combined effort of artists, which involves every artist’s contribution to making a wise choice of drawing, grinding, and filling in colours in workshops 
  • The reward of recognition was the element of success for Master artists to be enjoyed in court
  • With the completion of the masterpiece of Mughal painting, Master artists’ names were recorded in the royal atelier

After knowing the prolonged hardship in the background for creating the magnificent artwork, let’s not skip on the details of some famous Mughal Paintings.

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Some Famous Paintings

Noah’s Ark:

Noah’s Ark painting depicts Prophet Noah in the ark. It has a figure of Prophet Noah, trying to save the animals from the attack of his sons – and with the hopes of seeing the animals flourishing once again post the threatening flood sent by God to punish human beings for their sins, he is carrying animals in pairs.

Below are some key features of Noah’s Ark famous painting:

  • The painting is the unique representation of the Divan-I-Hafiz painted manuscript
  • The realistic view of paint has been crafted by using the subdued colour palette
  • It is famous for representing one of the masters at Akbar’s imperial atelier, ascribed to Miskin
  • This painting is presented at Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D. C., USA

                  

Krishna Lifts Mount Govardhan:

Krishna lifts Mount Govardhan painting depicts Lord Krishna lifting the mountain, Govardhan, to protect the villagers and their livestock from torrential rain.

Here are the inspiration key features of the painting:

  • Krishna lifts Mount Govardhan‘s painting based on the theme of one of the Sanskrit Manuscripts named Harivam
  • The Manuscript was translated by Badauni, a noble scholar in the court of Akbar in Persian, who was well known for his religious views
  • The painting is still in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Falcon on a Bird Rest painting was desired by Emperor Jahangir, who was famous for his fine collection of Falcon paintings and was a part of his official biography as Jahangir Nama.

Besides, this painting was one of the unique paintings that described a cat’s attack on a Falcon. 

The Falcon was brought as a gift from the Persian emperor Shah Abbas. And to preserve the memory of the dead Falcon for prosperity’s sake, Ustad Mansur, the well-known painter, was given a job to picture the Falcon in the form of magnificent art.

Below are the key features of Falcon on a Bird Rest Painting: 

  • Ustad Mansur, who Jahangir titled Nadir ul Asr, painted the art in the reign of Jahangir
  • It has text in Devanagari that includes words like Jahangir Patashah (represents the portrait of Jahangir) and  Bahari (means Falcon), and Uttam (means excellent)
  • It is in the collection of the National Museum, New Delhi

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Zebra:

The Mughal emperor Jahangir was bestowed a painting of Zebra by his nobleman Mir Jafa which Turks from Ethiopia brought. 

It was presented to him during Nowruz or New Year festivities in March 1621.

Here are some key features of Zebra painting to be considered:

  • The painting has text written on it by Jahangir in Persian, the court language, that it was: “A mule which the Turks (rumiyan) in the company of Mir Ja’far had brought from Ethiopia [Habesha]”
  • Jahangirnama clearly suggests the time of the painting when it was presented to Jahangir that was Nowruz or New Year festivities in March 1621
  • The painting went through multiple examinations to identify if it represented Zebra or a horse painted in stripes on its body
  • Later, it was gifted to Shah Abbas of Iran in exchange for rare gifts like the Falcon
  • In possession of Emperor Shah Jahan, the painting became a part of his collection of royal albums of paintings and calligraphies
  • Also, Shah Jahan further enhanced the beauty of the painting with the addition of ornate borders of the painting

 

The Marriage Procession Of Dara Shikoh:

This painting is a reflection of a celebration of the Dara Shikhon Marriage Ceremony. Dara Shikhon was the eldest son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

The painting represents the glorious outlook of Mughals that includes Music, dance, gifts, and fireworks.

In this painting, the artist has captured the glitz and glam of the wedding procession.

It showcases the monarchs of the Mughal Prince riding a brown stallion with the traditional sehra, who was accompanied by his father, Shah Jahan, on a white horse with a dazzling nimbus around his head.

Here are some more worth knowing insights into the painting:

  • This painting belongs to the reign of Shah Jahan
  • It was painted by known artist Haji Madni, who built the Taj Mahal in Agra
  • This painting is secured in the National Museum, New Delhi, India

Conclusion

The Mughal School of Miniature Painting is known for its sophisticated aesthetics that developed in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent. From the 16th to the mid-19th century, this school of Indian Art includes calligraphy, book marking, book illustrations apart from miniature paintings.