MUGHAL ART

ORIGIN

 Mughal art and architecture, a characteristic Indo-

Islamic-Persian style that flourished on the Indian
subcontinent during the Mughal empire (1526–1857).
 This new style combined elements of Islamic art and
architecture, which had been introduced to India
during the Delhi Sultanate (1192–1398) and had
produced great monuments such as the Qutb Minar,
with features of Persian art and architecture.
 Mughal monuments are found chiefly in N India, but
there are also many remains in Pakistan.
CHARACTERSTICS OF MUGHAL
ART
 It is very colorful and detailed.
 It involved flowers and floral patterns.
 The Mughal empire provided a secure framework
within which artistic genius could flourish.
 Both Hindu and Muslim artists collaborated to
produce some of th b t I di t f the best Indian art.
 The Mughal emperors were themselves patrons of
art whose intellectual ideas and cultural of art
whose intellectual ideas and cultural outlook were
expressed in the architecture.
 ART FORMS

 MONUMENTS
 SCULPTURES
 PAINTINGS
Mughal paintings
Rajput paintings
Mysore paintings
Tanjore paintings
Madhubani paintings
CHARACTERSTICS OF
MUGHAL MONUMENTS
 Art and architecture under the Mughal era was a
blend of Islamic and Persian architecture.
 Mughals introduced a lot of innovative ideas when it
came to construction in the subcontinent.
 • White marble, red sandstone and Gemstones were
used in the Mughal architecture.
 • Nearl y 400 monuments have survived a time-s p y
an of 132 years.
 • Used arches and domes .
 • Symmetry and balance stressed designs.
 • Used octagons a lot.
DEVELOPMENT OF ART UNDER DIFFERENT INVADERS OVER
THE PERIOD OF TIME

HUMAYUN (1508-1556)

AKBAR (1542-1605)

JAHANGIR ( 1569-1627)

AURANGZEB (1618-1707)
 HUMAYUN (1508-1556)

 When the second Mughal emperor, humayun was in exile in

Tabriz in the Safavid court of Shah Tahmasp I of Persia.
 He was exposed to Persian miniature paintings, and
commissioned at least one work there, An unusually large
painting of Princess Of The House Of Timbur, now in the British
Museum.
 When Humayun returned to india, he brought with him two
accomplished Persian artists, Sayyid Ali and Adbus Samad.
 His usurping brother Kamran Mirza had maintained a workshop
in Kabul, which Humayun perhaps took over into his own.
 Humayun’s major known commission was a Khamsa Of Nizami
with 36 pages, in which the different styles of artists are mostly
still apparent.
PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF TIMUR,
ATTRIBUTED TO ABD AS-SAMAD,CA.(1550-1555)
 AKBAR(1556-1605)
MONUMENTS
 In architecture the first great Mughal monument was the
mausoleum to Humayun, erected during the reign of
Akbar (1556–1605).
 The tomb, which was built in the 1560s, was designed by
a Persian architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyas.
 Set in a garden at Delhi, it has an intricate ground plan
with central octagonal chambers, joined by an archway
with an elegant facade and surmounted by cupolas,
kiosks, and pinnacles.
 At the same time Akbar was building his fortress-palace
in his capital, Agra. Native red sandstone was inlaid with
white marble, and all the surfaces were ornately carved
on the outside and sumptuously painted inside.
 Akbar went on to build the entire city of Fatehpur Sikri
(City of Victory) in which extensive use was made of the
low arches and bulbous domes that characterize the
Mughal style.
 A GIRL WITH PARROT(1580-1585)
 JHANGIR( 1569-1627)
MONUMENTS

 He preferred each painter work on a single piece rather than the

collaboration fostered during Akbar's time. This period marks the
emergence of distinct individual styles, notablyBishan Das, Manohar
Das, Abu al-Hasan, Govardhan, and Daulat.
 It was Shah Jahan (1628–58) who perfected Mughal architecture and
erected at Agra its most noble and famous building, the tomb of his
favorite wife, which is known as the Taj Mahal. A huge white marble
building of simple, symmetrical plan, it is inlaid with colorful
semiprecious materials and is set in an equally beautiful and
symmetrical garden.
 The Taj Mahal continues the tradition of Mughal garden tombs, of
which Humayun's tomb was the first. Shah Jahan established (1638)
Delhi as his capital and built there the famous Red Fort, which
contained the imperial Mughal palace.
EMPEROR JAHANGIR WEIGHTS PRINCE KHURRAM BY
MANOHAR DAS,BRITISH MUSEUM,(1610-1615)
 Painting also flourished during Shah Jahan's reign.
Portraiture was most highly developed at his
sophisticated court, and ink drawings were of high
quality. Shah Jahan (1628–1658), whose most
notable architectural contribution is the Taj Mahal.
 Paintings under his rule were more formal, featuring
court scenes, in contrast to the personal styles from
his predecessor's time.
 AURANGEB(1618-1707)
MONUMENTS

 who held increasingly orthodox Sunni beliefs,

forcibly took the throne from his father Shah Jahan.
With a ban of music and painting in 1680, his reign
saw the decline of Mughal patronage of the arts.
 Meanwhile, in South-Central India, during the late
fifteenth century after the Middle kingdoms, the
Bahmani sultanate disintegrated into the Deccan
sultanates centered at Bijapur, Golconda,
Ahmadnagar, Bidar, and Berar.
 They developed unique techniques of metal
casting, stone carving, and painting, as well as a
distinctive architectural style with the addition of
citadels and tombs.
 For instance, the Baridi dynasty (1504–1619) of
Bidar saw the invention of bidri ware, which was
first cast from an alloy of zinc mixed with copper,
tin, and lead and inlaid with silver or brass, then
covered with a mud paste containing sal ammoniac,
which turned the base metal black, highlighting the
color and sheen of the inlaid metal. Only after the
Mughal conquest of Ahmadnagar in 1600 did the
Persian influence begin to affect Deccan art, and
remains evident till date.
MINIATURE PAINTINGS
 • The Mughal period in Indian history had seen
widespread cultural development, especially in the
field of miniature paintings. These paintings are like
binocular through which we can see the Medieval
history of India.
STYLE
 • These paintings full of subtlety and sophistication
that how the artists have displayed their emotions
through the art of miniature paintings. And that too
before centuries when there were no enough
technique and colours available.
 • Mughal painting in miniatures on paper developed
very quickly in the late 16th century from the
combined influence of the existing miniature
tradition and artists trained in the Persian miniature
tradition imported by the Mughal Emperor's court.
 • New ingredients in the style were much greater
realism, especially in portraits, and an interest in
animals, plants and other aspects of the physical
world.
IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF
MUGHAL MINIATURE
PAINTINGS
 Mughal Art: It helps creating the strong two-
dimensional design making the overall frame
pleasant to look at.
 In many paintings, the scenes narrating different
events were painted in several sectors of the same
work, in the same frame. In doing so the
proportions of these sectors risked making the
whole painting look unrealistic.
 But the main strength was their strong linear
rhythm created by the play of colours and the
stories narrated in the same. And by this way these
miniatures created the effect of great energy
 Mughal Style and Subjects: Most of the miniature
artists of Mughal era focused their attention on
depicting beauty. They were much attentive to the
intricacies of the designs of jewels and drapes, and
clothes; sometimes forgetting the crucial factor of
realism that they considered less important.
However the rich designs and ornaments all have
been given a splendid treatment by the artists. Look
at the lady’s turban and the rich ornaments. Every
item had been given a royal and detailed touch.
 Painting Techniques: Persian painters of miniature
style had used upright formats for as their subject
of depiction. They emphasized and used general
setting with the flat aerial perspective.
 The Mughal Miniature artists, especially those who
painted during the time of Emperor Akbar (1556-
1605), maintained that qualities of the Persian
style, too, in their work. But they were
progressive, too. They added their vision and took
some artistic freedom, applying naturalism in
their work. These artists tried depicting the
detailed observation of the world in their
immediate surround. In that sense they were a bit
like genre painters.
 MUGHAL PAINTING
 Mughal painting is a particular style of Indian
painting, generally confined to illustrations on the
book and done in miniatures, and which emerged,
developed and took shape during the period of the
Mughal Empire16th −19th centuries.
 Mughal paintings were a unique blend of Indian,
Persian and Islamic styles. Because the Mughal
kings wanted visual records of their deeds as
hunters and conquerors, their artists accompanied
them on military expeditions or missions of state,
or recorded their prowess as animal slayers, or
depicted them in the great dynastic ceremonies of
marriages.
 One of the first productions of that school of
miniature painting was the Hamzanama series,
which according to the court historian, Badayuni,
was started in 1567 and completed in 1582. The
Hamzanama, stories of Amir Hamza, an uncle of the
Prophet, were illustrated by Mir Sayyid Ali. The
paintings of the Hamzanama are of large size, 20 x
27" and were painted on cloth.
 RAJPUT PAINTINGS
 Rajput painting, a style of Indian painting, evolved
and flourished, during the 18th century, in the royal
courts of Rajputana, India. Each Rajput kingdom
evolved a distinct style, but with certain common
features. Rajput paintings depict a number of
themes, events of epics like the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata, Krishna's life, beautiful landscapes,
and humans.
 Miniatures were the preferred medium of Rajput
painting, but several manuscripts also contain
Rajput paintings, and paintings were even done on
the walls of palaces, inner chambers of the forts,
havelies, particularly, the havelis of Shekhawati.
 The colours extracted from certain minerals, plant
sources, conch shells, and were even derived by
processing precious stones, gold and silver were
used. The preparation of desired colours was a
lengthy process, sometimes taking weeks. Brushes
used were very fine.
 MYSORE PAINTINGS

 Mysore painting is an important form of classical

South Indian painting that originated in the town of
Mysore in Karnataka.
STYLE
 These paintings are known for their elegance,
muted colours and attention to detail. The themes
for most of these paintings are Hindu Gods and
Goddesses and scenes from Hindu mythology. In
modern times, these paintings have become a much
sought-after souvenir during festive occasions in
South India.
 TANJORE PAINTINGS

 Tanjore painting is an important form of classical South Indian painting

native to the town of Tanjore in Tamil Nadu. The art form dates back
to the early 9th century, a period dominated by the Chola rulers, who
encouraged art and literature.
STYLE
 These paintings are known for their elegance, rich colours, and
attention to detail.
 The themes for most of these paintings are Hindu Gods.
 MADHUBANI PAINTING

 Madhubani painting is a style of painting, practised

in the Mithila region of Bihar state. Themes revolve
around Hindu Gods and mythology, along with
scenes from the royal court and social events like
weddings.
STYLE
 Generally no space is left empty; the gaps are
filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and
even geometric designs.In this paintings artists uses
leaf, Herbs, Flowers to make the colour which is
used to draw paintings.
THE END