A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c20.s3.14

c20.s3.14

On the contrary, it seems to me that the Indo-Persian artists troubled themselves little about either ‘the soul of things’ or ‘Nature's eternal verities’. Theirs was a courtier's art, initiated and cultivated for the delectation of luxurious kings and nobles, and well adapted to adorn the walls of palaces, or to be handed round for the entertainment of connoisseur parties. The subjects chosen, excepting deliberate imitations of foreign pictures, ordinarily were portraits of princes and courtiers, scenes of palace life and aristocratic amusement, or lively delineations of favourite chargers and elephants or strange and interesting creatures. In the earlier days of the school, Indian-born artists followed Mongol fashions and painted sanguinary battle-scenes, executions, and so forth; but during the best period the life portrayed is, as a rule, that of courtly luxury. When groups of fakīrs or other poor folk are introduced they are treated either as mere accessories, or in a dilettante spirit as objects of curiosity.