Indian Painting under the Mughals, A.D. 1550 to A.D. 1750 c18.1.1

c18.1.1

IF we are to judge from Abu'l Fazl's contemporary account of the state of painting under the Emperor Akbar, it is evident that the Mughals had a high opinion of the skill of the court artists. For his remarks in the *A'in-i-Akbari* on the subject are quite clear. 'Here', writes the famous historian, 'the art flourishes, and many painters have obtained great reputation.' 'Here', he continues, 'most excellent painters are now to be found, and master-pieces, worthy of Bihzad, may be placed at the side of the wonderful works of the European painters who have attained world-wide fame. The minuteness in detail, the general finish, the boldness of execution, &c., now observed in pictures, are incomparable; even inanimate objects look as if they had life.' This is high praise indeed. It should be explained, however, that Abu'l Fazl was a consummate flatterer, and his writings were largely devoted to a fulsome eulogy of his august master and all that he did. But although given to exaggeration, and although he had no expert knowledge of painting, the fact should not be overlooked that he was a refined and educated man, and probably the leading intellectual at Akbar's court. His opinion, therefore, in spite of its technical failings, carries some weight, and should receive consideration in any review of the painting of his time. Pictorial art under the Mughals, according to the same authority, specialized in two directions, that of portraiture and of book-illustrating.