Indian Painting under the Mughals, A.D. 1550 to A.D. 1750 c13.15

c13.15

of the Chinese, as much of the later painting of the Persian Mongol school testifies. Plate I is an example of the illustrative art of this period. It is a picture taken from a fragmentary manuscript in the Rampur State Library dealing with the history of the Mongols, and depicts a state ceremony. Friar Odoric’s account of his visit to the Court of Yisun Timur about 1325 describes the scene. ‘ When the Khakan sat on his throne the queen was on his left hand, and a step lower down two others of his women, while at the bottom of the steps stood the other ladies of his family. All those who were married wore upon their heads the foot of a man as it were, a cubit and a half in length, and at the top of the foot there were certain crane’s feathers, the whole foot being set with great pearls, so that if there were in the whole world any fine and large pearls they were to be found in the decoration of those ladies. . . . Below stand all those who are of the blood royal . . . and in front of the king stand his barons and others, an innumerable multitude.’¹ This illustration, therefore, has two interests. It is not only a prototype of the Mughal painter’s art, but also depicts a Mongol progenitor of the dynasty which introduced Persian painting into Hindustan.