Indian Painting under the Mughals, A.D. 1550 to A.D. 1750 c22.5

c22.5

Up to this point the student has been working on those exercises which are the indigenous Indian contribution to the series; he now continues with the course, but the remaining figures are supposed to be of Persian origin, introduced during Mughal times into the art teaching of India. The curves of the curious double fish (No. 7) are clearly an elaboration of the previous lesson, but the figure also marks the step from the inanimate to the animate object, a conventional design it is true, but it leads up to a series of drawings from life with all the complications of movement that accompany the more advanced study. First of these is the horse (No. 8), followed by the elephant (No. 9); the latter was generally well drawn by the Indian artist, even the most elementary student being able to depict the characteristics of this familiar animal. The camel (No. 10) and the deer (No. 11) came next, and after these two birds (Nos. 12 and 13) with their more subtle lines and intricate plumage but clearly conventional creatures based on Chinese models. After the course from living objects the student made an excursion into the field of architecture (*‘imārat*, No. 14), a useful practice as arcades and pavilions were frequently employed in the backgrounds of Indian pictures. Flower studies (*phūl*, Nos. 15, 16, 17) introduced him to the beauties of the garden, and he copied plant forms in the somewhat formal manner favoured by the Mughals. Then followed an exercise in geometrical tracery (*naqsh u nigār*, No. 18) to test his powers of spacing, and to acquaint him with the use of the rule and square, ending finally in studies of the human form (*insān*, Nos. 19 and 20), the most advanced figures of the whole series.