Indian Painting under the Mughals, A.D. 1550 to A.D. 1750 c20.61.2

c20.61.2

Taking the Mughal art as a whole, it will be found that features drawn from the three-quarter view are rarer than those in profile, and are more often seen in those figures forming part of a large group in a picture, than in portraits of single individuals. As the art progressed the three-quarter face, although it is occasionally seen in the portraiture of Shah Jahan’s reign, gradually became obsolete, and eventually was superseded almost entirely by the rigid profile. The Mughal method of depicting the sitter exactly from the side was not confined only to the head and features but also to the feet. As a contrast to this, however, the shoulders and body were represented at an angle and with a certain effect of foreshortening. The whole idea was a conventional one, controlled by certain traditions and customs, and dependent very largely on the changing fashions of the time. In the hands of any but a naturally gifted artist, a portrait produced on such terms would tend to be stiff and lifeless, lacking in interest and conviction. As would be expected, the result at its best is a decorative production. By sheer artistry, however, the painter has not only redeemed it from what might have been an archaic commonplace, but has presented us with a work of art of great merit. A good Mughal portrait, in spite of its limitations of scale, undoubtedly possesses considerable character and charm.