Like his ancestors Jahangir maintained his own atelier and all the renowned artists and painters of his noble father's atelier were not only retained, but the rising painters were also employed Jahangir was an aristocrat with an eye of a naturalist, the vision of a poet and heart of a saint and like his noble father treated all religious equally.
Under his patronage, the Mughal painting achieved naturalism and scientific accuracy of the highest degree. The curiosity and wonderment that the Emperor had for nature and people around him is reflected in the works that he commissioned.
Mansur, Abdul Hasan and Bishandas were the great painters in the court of Jahangir. Jahangir has bestowed the title of Nadir-ulAsr on Mansur. During this period, the influence of western painting on the Mughal painters became more pronounced.
Jahangir was sympathetic towards Indian painters and appreciated their talent and appeared them in numerous ways and employed them for mural decorations and were also assisted by Persian artists.
One of the contributions was the use of aroma behind the heads of the Mughal emperors in paintings. This practice, which was originally adopted by the Mahayana Buddhist artists, was extensively utilized in the Christian art of the middle Ages.
Jahangir’s fascination for European art and theme prompted him to have more such works in his collection. Many celebrated religious Christian themes were also produced in the royal atelier of Jahangir.
Painting during the reign of Jahangir
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Prince and a Hermit |
