Indian Painting under the Mughals, A.D. 1550 to A.D. 1750 c16.38

Language: English

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These, and many similar records, certainly favour the supposition that Aurangzeb gave little encouragement to his people in the sphere of art, but whether he persisted throughout the whole of his reign in prohibiting any form of expression of which he did not personally approve is far from proved. On the contrary there is much material forthcoming which conclusively demonstrates that the arts generally flourished very much as they did under his less bigoted predecessors. And miniature painting is a case in point. The number of pictures that were produced during the latter half of the seventeenth century, although undoubtedly inferior in quality, is as great, if not greater, than in the previous period. Moreover, that many of these paintings were executed with the emperor's concurrence, if not at his express command, is shown by the fact that they often include a portrait of Aurangzeb himself. We see him hunting, travelling, reading, governing, and commanding his army, exactly as Jahangir and Shah Jahan were depicted in the miniatures of their time. But one fact may be noticed. In almost all these pictures he is shown as an old man, often bent almost double with age; rarely is he represented even in his prime, always in his declining years. And the question may be asked, did he, after riper judgement, and late in life, relent and give his royal assent to the continuance of the painters' art?

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Such may be one explanation, while another is that he was a man of moods, and did, in some of his more puritanical moments, lay the heavy hand of imperial restraint on the artistic aspirations of his subjects. Where, however, the skill of the painter served a useful purpose, Aurangzeb was ready to turn it to advantage, as one story at least plainly shows. His eldest son, Muhammad Sultan, after giving the emperor much anxiety, finally revolted against the parental rule, only to surrender a few months afterwards. Aurangzeb, who, like the Bourbon, never forgot and never forgave, in spite of his fondness for the erring prince, had him confined in the state prison at Gwalior to the end of his days. Continuing to retain some of his fatherly affection, but feeling that he could not trust himself in the actual presence of his favourite son, he arranged for portraits of the prisoner to be painted from time to time, and these were submitted to the emperor so that he should be kept regularly informed as to the state of his health.¹ This may seem a somewhat unusual rôle for the portrait painter, but in the East the artist often found himself utilized for such purposes, and, as will be shown in a later chapter, his skill in seizing a likeness was employed in a variety of ways.

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Like all the other members of his dynasty, Aurangzeb was possessed of the human weakness of vanity, and was fond of seeing himself occupying a prominent position in pictures of some of the stirring episodes of his career, especially his arduous campaigns in the Deccan, on which he was engaged for many years of his life. Plate XXX is a typical example of one of these, as well as representative of the art of the time. Many such paintings have come down to us, of sieges and the storming of fortresses, with Aurangzeb's figure in the foreground, clearly popular subjects with him and his people. The miniature here reproduced shows the emperor at the siege of Bijapur, which was captured after a desperate resistance in 1686. Before his golden-nimbed and almost crusader-like appearance stand two cowed individuals with silken bindings around their extended wrists, betokening an unconditional surrender to his majesty. It is significant of the art at this period of its decline. Gone is that attractive feeling of sincerity so characteristic of the earlier works, and in its place is an attempt at something which the artist could not really accomplish, an artificial rendering which is neither a portrait nor a picture. Much dramatic effect is discernible but on the whole it the Roman world, and the most important events of the reign of Antoninus Pius, are related by his biographer, and the reader will not be sorry to find them here in a more concise form.

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The reign of Antoninus Pius is marked by the rare advantage of furnishing very few materials for history; which is only another mode of saying that its happiness was complete. During the twenty-three years of his administration, the Roman empire was governed by the same invariable maxims of justice and peace. The natives of a vast extent of country were protected by the same laws, and enjoyed the same privileges. The frontiers were defended by the same legions, and the same spirit of moderation and equity prevailed in the councils of the emperor. The death of Antoninus was lamented as a public calamity; and the memory of his virtues was preserved by the gratitude of his subjects, and the imitation of his successor.