Painting during the reign of Jahangir

Jahangir (1605 – 1627 AD) was the most enthusiastic patron of the Mughal painting. Mughal painting reached its climax under Jahangir when apart from painting hunting, battle and court scenes, special importance was given on portrait painting and paintings of animals, flowers etc.

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

A Prince and a Hermit

India Mughal painting

The Mughal school was found by Akbar under whom it developed into a class of its own. The Mughal school of painting in India coincides with the period of Mughal dynasty.

During the reign of the Mughals in the mid-16th century, the subjects of miniature paintings included portraits, court scenes, flora and fauna. In the Rajput (in Rajasthan) and Pahari (in the Punjab hills) courts, the paintings continued to bring to life poetry, age old legends, religious mythology and the moods of love and changing seasons.

It was essentially a product of the Mughal court. In form and content, it happens to be a departure from collective community tradition just as the Mauryan art was more than a millennium and a half before.

Mughal painting marks a unique a blending of Persian and Indian ideas. Mughal painting was essentially a court art, developed under the patronage of the ruling Mughal emperors and began to decline when the rulers lost interest.

Mughal artists due to new and more sophisticated techniques, learned both from Persian and European traditions. Pigments too contributed significantly to the distinctiveness of a style, fri contrast to pre-Mughal paintings, those of the Mughal and Rajput school reflect an enormous increase in the range of colors.

The subjects treated were generally secular, revolving around themes like battles, court scenes, receptions, legendary stories, hunting scenes, wildlife, portraits, and the likes.

The ancestral home of Mughal painting was originally in Samarkand and Herat where, under the Timurid kings in the fifteenth century, Persian art reached its zenith. An offshoot of Central Asian Art, the term, Indo-Persian, or more precisely, still, Indo-Timurid, is regarded by some authorities as a more suitable name for this particular development of Indian painting.

It was under Jahangir that Mughal painting attained its greatest perfection. Jahangir constantly refers to the court painters in his memories and mentions the valuable presents and the honors which he bestowed upon them.
India Mughal painting