Stylized images of richly draped figures involved in various court activities, that's how most of us perceive Mughal Court Paintings. In fact the concept of Mughal Court Painting was born with Humayun's fascination with Persian Paintings in the court of Shah Tahmasp II in Tabriz. So smitten was he with the Persion art Form that he brought two Persian Painters with him in India. The Indianised version of their work is what we know as the Mughal Paintings. The earliset example of Mughal Paintings would be the Tutinama (literal meaning “Tales of a Parrot”), now in the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Mughal Court Painting was rich in variety which included portraits, events and scenes from the court life.
Style of Mughal Court Paintings
Mughal paintings paid keen attention to the intricacies of the designs of jewels and drapes, the realism factor was hardly ever taken into consideration. The focus was on the display of beauty.
The Patrons of Mughal Court Paintings
After Humayun , subsequent rulers like Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, were great patrons of the style.
Akbar, who was known for his love for art and culture, was liberal enough to let thousands of Mughal Painters depict scenes from the Hindu Epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Mughal Paintings of this period were considerably more refined in terms of realism and theme. Shah Jahan too was a keen patron of this Art form.
Mughal Court Paintings as storytellers of their times
Mughal Court Paintings give us invaluable information the life and times of rulers of those times. The existent socio political condition is also reflected in these paintings. Social customs and courtly customs as depicted in these paintings depict the social hierarchy that divided the Mughal society. Presence of Foreign ambassadors tells us that Mughal rulers had active trade connections with foreign countries. Indeed these Paintings are great story tellers.
The Patrons of Mughal Court Paintings
After Humayun , subsequent rulers like Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, were great patrons of the style.
Akbar, who was known for his love for art and culture, was liberal enough to let thousands of Mughal Painters depict scenes from the Hindu Epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Mughal Paintings of this period were considerably more refined in terms of realism and theme. Shah Jahan too was a keen patron of this Art form.
Mughal Court Paintings as storytellers of their times
Mughal Court Paintings give us invaluable information the life and times of rulers of those times. The existent socio political condition is also reflected in these paintings. Social customs and courtly customs as depicted in these paintings depict the social hierarchy that divided the Mughal society. Presence of Foreign ambassadors tells us that Mughal rulers had active trade connections with foreign countries. Indeed these Paintings are great story tellers.
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