Mughal paintings achieved new delicacy and romatic flavour during the reign of Shah Jahan. Love, romance, portraits and court scenes became the common themes for the mughal paintings. In the mughal court scene paintings, the court scenes are depicted in grandeur and they were rich in variety which included portraits, events and court scenes from the court life. They depict the emperor sitting on a high throne and subjects offering him their valuable things. The rich and colorful miniature paintings produced under Mughals had strong Persian influence. The paintings were aristocratic, individualistic and strong in portraiture where the plush court scenes and hunting expedition of royalty were depicted. The fascinating Mughal paintings portrays the scene of Mughal court, which are skillfully created by using multiple luscious colors. Dresses of busy emperors, courtiers, servants and architectural designs make the observers familiar with the reign of Mughal emperors. 

After Humayun, subsequent rulers like Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan were great patrons of the mughal paintings. The incredible miniature paintings in Mughal India during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, during the reigns of the three most renowned emperors of the Mughal dynasty Akbar (1556-1605), Jahangir (1605-1627) and Shahjahan (1628-1658) are acclaimed for their beautiful and evocative work. These paintings speak about the daily life of imperial court. Akbar, who was known for his love for art and culture, was liberal enough to let thousands of the mughal painters depict scenes from the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The painters of Akbar`s court like Manohar and Mansur depicted the episodes from Babur`s campaigns, his visits to his relatives, his feasts, his hunts etc. Moreover, a number of paintings of court and hunting scenes and portraits were also executed during the period of Akbar. He collected artists from India and Persia and employed more than a hundred painters, most of whom were Hindus from Gujarat, Gwalior and Kashmir. They worked under the two Persian master-artists Abdus Samad and Mir Sayyid Ali, but they were encouraged and inspired by Akbar. After him, Jehangir encouraged artists to paint portraits and court scenes. His most talented portrait painters were Abul Hasan and Bishan Das. Bahadur Shah I (1707-1712 AD.) also tried to restore the court patronize of paintings. 

Mughal Court paintings provides very useful information about the life and times of rulers of the period. These paintings also reflect the contemporary social and political condition of the people. Social customs and courtly customs as depicted in these paintings. Presence of the foreign ambassadors tells that Mughal rulers had active trade connections with foreign countries. Thus it can be said that these paintings are great story tellers and informative.

Mughal love paintings are one of the important sub-kinds of Mughal paintings and they are wonderful illustration of the Mughal era. These paintings are greatly admired and praised for their richness, styles and innovativeness. They had splendid themes and unique styles. They reflect the rich culture of mughal period in their own imaginative way and give us a glimpse of what that period was all about. The cultures, art, concept of love etc. portrayed in these paintings are true specimen of that period. In these paintings, imagination and creativity played a much bigger role than realism. These love paintings are loved and appreciated all over the world. The tasteful sensuousness of these paintings have found admirers in art connoisseurs of the West. These paintings reflect the grandeur of the mughal rulres and their glamorous lifestyles together with their queens and wives.

What makes Mughal love paintings even more outstanding is the unique blend of Indian and Persian style. The themes of these paintings are informative, revealing and provocative. Some of the most general themes of love paintings were, love, lovers, courtly lovers in intimate positions, lovers in a state of despair etc. Mughal love paintings are full of luxurious world of physical beauty, colorful themes and sensuality. These paintings took their inspiration from colorful life styles of Mughal rulers. Rulers’ love lives are depicted in these love paintings. Some of the mughal love paintings contain scenes where in a prince or an emperor is sitting with his lover. She may be his wife or one of the wives, as the Mughal and Rajaput rulers kept many wives, but the simple scene of two lovers sitting side by side illustrates much more than what we see. Other important paintings include the depiction of a Royal couple spending their leisure time together.

Mughal love paintings capture ones imagination because of their unique style and choice of themes. Emperor Jahangir, who had a keen artistic sense, encouraged and helped in the development of Mughal love paintings. His contribution in encouraging love paintings is greatly acknowledged. ‘Jahangirnama’ had some of the most amazing paintings reflecting the wonderful art taste of the ruler. He encouraged the depiction of his life in Jahangirnama. He also patronized many great painters of the time including Mansoor, Abul Hasan, Daswant and Basawan. He loved fine arts and encouraged the growth the poetry, paintings, dance, music etc. He was also a good writer and lover of nature. There were renowned Mughal painters who were expert in making love paintings. Govardhan and Ustad Mansur were the most famous artists of that era. Ustad Mansur created huge impact as a Mughal painter during the 17th Century. 

Nature is a very important part of Indian life, art and culture. Therefore, nature has always been essential to Indian imagination. The mountains and hills, river and lakes, plants and tress are still regarded as the natural abodes of deities and auspicious places for meditation. The beauty of nature in the form of plants, birds, flowers, animals etc. form an important subject for the Mughal paintings during the reign of Jahangir. Trees, plants, rivers, mountains etc. were painted in the Mugal paintings. Rivers, mountains and natural scenes are painted with accuracy. In hunting scenes also there was great reality and beauty in the forest scenes.

Ustad Mansoor was the best painter of Birds. His portraits of birds, animals and flowers set in their natural habitat can be seen as one of the earliest scientific studies of the animal world. One of the matchless and lively paintings was of the Falcon with an expression of cruelty and violence in his eyes among birds partridge, squirrels, hen, pigeon, peacock, duck etc. have been painted beautifully. 

Mughal artists began to look at nature with a keen eye when they were called upon to illustrate the Babarnama. As it has already been stressed Babar was a passionate naturalist and in his memoirs described flowers and plants with the accuracy of a scientist and the feeling of a poet. Thus, the painter too had to be both an acute observer and an imaginative poet to represent in line and color what the sensitive emperor had described in elegant prose.

Hunting paintings depict the hunting scenes. Hunting can be called the practice of pursuing animals (normally wildlife) for food, amusement or trade. In the past, hunting was famous among the kings and became a sport in medieval Europe. India’s tradition of hunting as a royal sport is ancient. Hunting enjoyed a prominent role in the imperial courts and this is evident from the Indian epics, Puranas, poems and plays from ancient India. Mughal painting was rich in variety and included portraits, events and scenes from court life, wild life and hunting scenes and illustrations of battles. 

Most of the Mughal paintings portray the scenes from the battlefields, court scenes and hunting scenes. Hunting was a favorite pastime of the Mughals, lions being declared royal game to which only the emperor could permit access. Accounts of lion hunts were preserved for posterity in a number of texts, including Jahangir's biography, as well as in the miniature paintings rendered faithfully by court artists who accompanied the royal hunting party on its expeditions. It was during Akbar’s reign when hunting is illustrated and recorded in details never before in history. He was a keen hunter.

Mughal Paintings form a blend of the Persian and Indian style. The paintings of the Mughal era depicted several themes. The paintings of that period were rich in their range and included events, portraits, hunting scenes, wild life, instances of battles etc. Most early Mughal portraits are of male courtiers, since females were rarely permitted to appear in open courts. It was due perhaps to the influence of Noor Jahan, the favourite queen of Jahangir, that women became more popular as the subject matter of painting. Bichitra was one of the most brilliant Mughal portrait painters, who was active under both Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Bichitra's portraits are admirable for their refinement as well as their subtle characterizations and these two sensitively rendered miniatures are among his finest works. 

After Akbar, Jahangir encouraged artists to paint portraits and durbar scenes. His most talented portrait painters were Ustad Mansur, Abul Hasan and Bishandas. The painter Mansur received an imperial title for his depictions of animals and flowers. Others were known for their portrait work, allegorical pictures or beautiful illuminated borders. In the 1700, scenes featuring pretty women at various activities became fashionable.

Essence of Mughal paintings

Mughal paintings prospered and developed during the reigns of Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Mughal Paintings form a blend of the Persian and Indian style. The paintings of the Mughal era depicted several themes. The paintings of that period were rich in their range and included events, portraits and scenes of life of the courts, hunting scenes and wild life and instances of battles. 

Mughal painting was essentially a court art; it developed under the patronage of the ruling Mughal emperors and began to decline when the rulers lost interest. The subjects treated were generally secular, consisting of illustrations to historical works and Persian and Indian literature, portraits of the emperor and his court, studies of natural life etc. The paintings in the period of Shah Jahan (1628-1658 A.D.) evince the pomp and grandeur of Mughal court. Indian Mughal paintings originated during the rule of Mughal Emperor, Humayun (1530-1540). When he came back to India from the exile, he also brought with him two excellent Persian artists, Mir-Sayyid Ali and Abd-us-samad.All paintings are courtesy of Art of Legend India.

The Mughal emperors introduced their own style of paintings with Persian inspiration and added themes, colors and forms. Mughal paintings reflect an exclusive combination of Indian, Persian and Islamic styles, which evolved in India during the reigns of the Mughal emperors (in the 16–18 centuries). Mughal paintings developed and flourished during the reigns of Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Mughal Paintings were rich in variety which included portraits, events and scenes from the court life, wild life and hunting scenes, and illustrations of battle fronts, some paintings also depicted lovers in intimate positions. 

Mughal painting was essentially a court art; it developed under the patronage of the ruling Mughal emperors and began to decline when the rulers lost interest. The subjects treated were generally secular, consisting of illustrations to historical works and Persian and Indian literature, portraits of the emperor and his court, studies of natural life, genre scenes etc. 

Mughal paintings

The art of Mughal painting was introduced by the Mughal emperor Humayun, when he returned to India after his exile in Persia. He invited two Persian artists, Mir Sayyid Ali and Abu-us-Samad to return with him. The Mughal paintings that developed from this influence are a keen blend of Indian, Persian and Islamic styles. Akbar's reign (1556-1605) ushered a new era in Indian miniature paintings. He was the first monarch who established in India an atelier under the supervision of two Persian master-artists, Mir Sayyed Ali and Abdul-ul-Samad Khan. Earlier, both of them had served under the patronage of Humayun in Kabul and accompanied him to India when he regained his throne in 1555. Later, a number of artists were engaged to work under their guidance to decorate Akbar's imperial studio at Fatehpur Sikri. One of the first productions of that school of painting was the Hamzanama series, which, according to the court historian, Badayuni, was started in 1567 and completed in 1582. It is interesting to note that most of the artists belonged to the Hindu communities hailing from Gujarat, Gwalior and Kashmir, who gave birth to a new school of painting, popularly known as the Mughal School of Painting. 

Akbar commissioned a large number of manuscripts, illustrated in this style, for his Imperial Library. However, this style of painting reached its zenith during the reigns of Jahangir (1605-1627) and Shah Jahan (1628-1658), but declined rapidly during the years that followed under the rule of Aurangzeb (1658-1707).

The earliest known manuscript illustrated in this fashion during Akbar's regime is the Duwal-Rani-Khizar-Khani. Written by the renowned poet Amir Khusro, the illustrations are attributed to Mir Sayyed Ali, the master-painter, who undertook the work in 1568. The paintings of the Hamzanama which represented the most ambitious project undertaken during the golden era of Akbar, were executed on large canvas made of cotton cloth. Initially, the work was started by about 30 artists, but their number grew to more than a hundred at the time of its completion. The work on these illustrations served as an excellent training ground for the painters of the royal atelier. The style of Mughal paintings is distinguished by the dramatic action and bold brush work. Apart from the Hamzanama, many other manuscripts such as the Razmanama, the Baburnama, the Akbarnama etc., were also illustrated in similar vein. 

It was in the last quarter of the 16th century that European influence began to affect the Mughal School. Hence, a number of Christian themes were also painted by the Mughal artists. Jahangir was an enthusiastic patron of the arts. He possessed an innate quality for the appreciation of paintings and talent for observing the nature keenly. Whenever he came across an unusual plant or bird or animal, he instructed his artists to paint them. Particularly, Mansur, one of the most talented painters, excelled in animal and bird motifs. The art of painting attracted and charmed Jahangir so much that his period is remarkable for beautiful illustrations of several manuscripts. Jahangir's period is characterised by naturalism, both in colour and form. During Shah Jahan's reign (1628-1658), the Mughal artists' favourite themes for paintings were emperors and princes visiting Sufi saints. In addition, court scenes, portraits and studies of birds and animals continued to be depicted. 

The fine quality of the Mughal painting was sustained during the period of Shah Jahan, even though he paid greater attention to architecture. The high quality work of the earlier reigns did not survive during the period of Aurangzeb, although some good portraiture and hunting scenes were executed in his time. Being an orthodox Muslim, he did not encourage the art of painting. However, in the reigns of Farrukhsyiar (1713-1719) and Muhammad Shah (1719-1748), the art of miniature painting was revived again. A known romantic as Muhammad Shah was, love scenes and romantic subjects began to feature frequently, which seemed to rebound on Aurangzeb's puritanical attitude. The era of Mughal painting came to an end during the period of Shah Alam (1759-1806) when the Mughal Empire was virtually confined to an area enclosed by the walls of the Red Fort in Delhi. 

The style of paintings in the provincial cities of the Mughal Empire such as Murshidabad, Faizabad, Lucknow and Patna has been described as Provincial Mughal. The Mughal Governors of these provinces had assumed independent status following the decline of Mughal Empire during the middle of the 18th century. There were no drastic changes in the Provincial Mughal Style of paintings, but it has certain recognizable features of its own. Mir Chand was one of the best known artists of this period. Other provincial artists sought to imitate earlier work to suit the varying tastes of their patrons rather than evolving distinctive styles of their own.

The school of painting that flourished under the reign of kings of south Indian was tagged as Deccan School of Miniature painting. As for the Deccani painting, initially it was a product of the Sheraz Style of Persian painting and the local art forms of the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar. Later, it was influenced by the Mughal Style during the late 17th and 18th century. The earliest surviving examples of Deccani painting go back to circa A.D. 1565-1567 and are now scattered in many collections belonging to Ahmadnagar and Bijapur Schools. A school of Deccani painting also flourished at Golconda, the style of which is remarkably consistent in quality and is a combination of high degree of technical excellence with refinement of line and a subtle richness in its color palette. 

Adil Shahi, Nizam Shahi and Qutub Shahi rulers were the patrons in the development of Deccani School of paintings. A lot of artists flourished during the rule of Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1580-1627), who was a great lover of paintings. It is evident from the availability of numerous portraits of Ibrahim Adil Shah in different museums of the world. The Deccani school of Painting got inspiration from the Mughal School and evolved its own unique and very characteristic style. In the Prince of Wales Museum of Mumbai, the painting gallery has some typical examples of Deccani paintings, which have pale green, mineral-colored backgrounds with figures placed squarely in the foreground.  

Deccan style paintings

The school of painting that flourished under the sponsorship of rulers of south India was known as Deccan miniature paintings. The performers who practiced this style lived using the cities of Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Golconda and Aurangabad. The states Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Golkonda and Hyderabad formed the region known as Deccan. Besides a distinct geographical identity, Deccan had its own distinction in art, cultures, dramatics, social values, costumes, religious beliefs, thoughts and ideas. 

Later generations of Muslim rulers of Deccani states, had their roots in Indian soil with little of Iran, Persia or Turkey in them. Rulers like Chand Bibi turned to be highly patriotic and some of them inclined even to Indian mysticism. Besides, the artists they had were mostly local or the local descendants of earlier immigrants. If we observe Deccani artists’ work with artistic eyes, we can see that the Deccan artists were influenced from the style of Persian and Turkish painters. The style and themes in Deccani miniature paintings are an amalgamation of various art elements and influences, especially the elements of early indigenous art traditions of the Deccan and the Islamic idiom of Iran, Persia and Turkey. 

Persian paintings were mostly about the pride of the kings and rulers. There were also religious Persian paintings, which represented the Persian interpretations of Islam. The art of Persian paintings belongs from 6th of century and mostly influenced by Mughal rulers. Persian art is known for its architecture and production of exquisite miniature paintings. These paintings are renowned for their use of geometry and vivid colors. The most complex situations (battles, court scenes etc.) were absorbed by the Persian artists to create comprehensive works of art.Agha Reza Reza-e Abbasi (1565–1635) was the most renowned Persian painter and calligrapher of the Isfahan School, which flourished during the Safavid period under the patronage of Shah Abbas I.

The origin of the Persian miniature is difficult to trace. The art form reached its peak mainly during the Mongol and Timurid periods (13th-16th century), and was greatly influenced by Chinese paintings as the Mongol rulers of Persia brought with them numerous Chinese artists to the court. 

Surdas in 16th century revived Krishna devotion by his epical creation Sursagr, which paints the life of Lord Krishna in verses. The compositions were compiled, illustrated and treasured in large numbers. With the decay of the Mughal Empire and the dispersal of its atelier, the regional schools became the new patrons of art. The principality of Avadh was a great centre of all forms of art, including literature, painting and music in the nineteenth century. all paintings are courtesy of Art of Legend.India.