8/22/2019 A Transition towards the End - Mughal Miniature Paintings Under Shah Jahan

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A Tr ansiti on towards the End - Mughal M iniature Paintings Under Shah Jahan

Mughals have contributed immensely to the cultural, political, and architecturallandscape of the Indian subcontinent, in general and that of modern day India, in

particular. The Mughal dynasty is responsible for granting a heritage to India, which has

given the country much of its grandeur and beauty. From Babur to Bahadur Shah Zafar,the last Mughal ruler, Mughals are an inseparable part of the Indian history.

On a cultural plateau, the Mughals marked their presence by warmly embracing the

traditions of art, culture and architecture from across the subcontinent. Humayun, thesecond ruler of the Mughal Dynasty, initiated this trend by bringing two Persian artists-

Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd-Us-Samad, from the Safavid court. These artists were later

included by his son and successor, Emperor Akbar, in his atelier as the prime

executioners of the new art form- that which came to be known as Mughal MiniaturePaintings, and subsequently, became an esteemed school ofIndian Miniature Paintings.

The art form flourished under Akbar, only to find a new diversion and form under hissuccessor, Jahangir. Jahangirs era saw a diversion from the conventional tradition, as

established during Akbars reign, by including the cultural influences of the Europeans.

Art, during Jahangirs time, acquired a political status, as the emperor commissioned that

the subjects so portrayed not be only of aesthetic importance but also, of politicalsignificance. The paintings also gained a sense of refinement and grace, with several new

techniques being adopted arduously by the court artists.

A rulers kingship influences the sphere of arts and aesthetics as strongly as it affects the

politics of the time. This can be a justified reason for the disparity that one sees in the

style of Mughal miniature paintings. Each ruler, specifically Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah

Jahan, brought along with him a set of beliefs, a personality, and a sense of aesthetics,which influenced the art of expression of the time.

A'la Azad Abul Muzaffar Shahab ud-Din Mohammad Khurram, popularly known asShah Jahan, succeeded Jahangir in 1628. Known as one of the most capable but arrogant

Mughal ruler, Khurram inherited a royal legacy, a huge kingdom with unrivalled military

strength and immense wealth. He also received the likeness for the arts as an inheritance,with his father and grandfather having established ateliers within the palace, and

patronizing several court artists. Shah Jahan, not only brought about a new dimension

into the traditions of the miniature paintings, but also was responsible for building some

of the most magnificent architectures of the Indian subcontinent.

The Mughal miniature paintings during Shah Jahans reign do not hold as much grandeur

and grace as did the earlier ones, owing to the interest of Shah Jahan into buildings and

monument. The miniatures under Shah Jahan depict a more rigid style, quite contrary tothe fluidity and the intricate beauty that one notices in the miniatures belonging to the era

of Akbar and Jahangir. The subject changed from political ones, which included battle

scenes and court affairs, to musical parties, lovers on gardens and terraces, ascetics andsuch like.

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The most prominent chronicle, which survives from the era of Shah Jahan, is The Shah

Jahan Album, or Kevorkian Album. The album contains fifty illustrated calligraphicfolios, which survive in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

From the portrait of the royal family and various dignitaries to nature studies andcalligraphy, the album holds the key to the door, which shall lead an enthusiast into theera of the rulers as well as acquaint him/her with the courtly life and the interests of the

patrons. The tradition of maintaining the album arose with Emperor Jahangir creating an

illustrated chronicle. The album then passed over to Shah Jahan, who contributedimmensely to the album, thus reaching its zenith. After Shah Jahans forceful

dethronement by his son Aurangzeb, the album lost much of its importance, as did other

forms of art, thus brandished to the dark alleys of memory.

Thus, while Mughal miniature paintings reflect a cultural amalgamation by bringing

together the Indian, Persian, and Islamic styles, the era of Shah Jahan saw the art form in

all its glory for the last time. The originality and the precision were done away with, withthe coming of Aurangzeb, who was an authoritarian and a fanatic. Art suffered, and died

a slow death, only to be resurrected by the modern scholars and studied and appreciated

with as much vigor and passion.

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