Indian Painting under the Mughals, A.D. 1550 to A.D. 1750 c14.10

c14.10

Babur was succeeded by his son, Humayun, who, while inheriting many of the agreeable and scholarly attributes of his father, was by no means his equal in character or administrative ability. Possessed of a charm of manner which never left him even in the darkest moment of his chequered career, he had all the social but few of the political qualities of a king. And the state of the empire demanded the latter more than the former. For ten years he strove to continue the work his father had begun, but in vain—it was beyond his power—and, after a series of defeats he was driven from the throne. From 1540, when forced to fly from Delhi by the Afghan usurper Sher Shah, until he returned again as emperor in 1555, he was a homeless wanderer, a king only in name. To a man of studious disposition, as Humayun undoubtedly was, these years of exile were far from wasted, much of his time being spent in travel, and in a variety of intellectual pursuits. For one whole year he was entertained at the court of Shah Tahmasp of Persia, and his experiences there were destined, at later date, to have an important effect on the arts of Hindustan. Humayun found Persia, under the early rule of the Safavids, an attractive study, as he saw this country at a period when it was rising out of the ruins of the past and endeavouring to assert itself again as a nationality. Its aims and ideals, somewhat sensual as they were, found reflection in its literature and its art. In illustrated books it found one of its means of expression, and in these Shah Tahmasp, under whom Humayun found protection, took no little interest. Stimulated by his patronage, the Safavid school of illuminators produced some of its most brilliant work, while in the pictures that decorated his books the Persian artists were never excelled. It is true that the death of Bihzad, previous to the arrival of Humayun in the country, had deprived the school of its founder, but much of his artistic skill had been bequeathed to his pupils, who well maintained the traditions of their great master. Such giants as Aga Mirak, Sultan Muhammad, and Muzaffar Ali were in their prime, while there were many other able craftsmen, little inferior to these, practising their art in the various ancient Iranic centres of learning. Infected by the aesthetic zeal of his royal host, Humayun spent some time in travelling about the country, visiting its historic cities, conversing with its scholars, listening to its musicians and poets, and making himself known in the studios of its most noted artists.