the golden age of mughal painting 1575–1650 John Guy
T
he period 1575 to 1650 encompasses the reigns of the Mughal emperors Akbar (r. 1556–1605), Jahangir (r. 1605– 27), and Shah Jahan (r. 1628–58). The imperial court culture that developed under the direction of these three great emperors, resourced from the riches of an entire subcontinent, came to bedazzle the world. Ambassadors and merchants alike were sent from Iran, Spain, England, and many lesser powers to engage with this empire. Traders, missionaries, and diplomats first passed through the Portuguese enclave of Goa, and later the ports of Cambay and Surat, to do business with the Mughal court at Delhi, Fatehpur Sikri, or Agra. When the young Akbar inherited this then fledgling empire, he also inherited a modest manuscript workshop, which his father, Humayun, had assembled during his exile in Kabul, and which came to Delhi with his invading army. Akbar clearly had empathy for the art of the book, and although reputedly semiliterate, he nurtured the creation of a great imperial library (kitabkhana) rich in illustrated manuscripts (Preface, Fig. 2).1 Akbar’s biographer Abu’l Fazl recorded that the emperor enjoyed daily readings of these works, adding that “among the books of renown there are few that are not read in His Majesty’s Assembly Hall.” 2 In a painting from the second edition of the Akbarnama, Akbar is seen in evening discourse with two Jesuits, the carpeted floor scattered with books (Fig. 15). This duo included Antonio Monserrate, whose memoirs of his visit to Akbar’s court at Fatehpur Sikri in 1580 provide an insight into the emperor’s inquiring mind.3 The kitabkhana was also home to the imperial atelier, whose scribes, painters, and librarians ensured that a steady flow of new manuscripts was added to the library. What manuscripts were produced was very much determined by the emperor himself. All three emperors of this period were instrumental in commissioning specific works and in many cases in directing which painter should receive the royal instruction. Abu’l Fazl tells us that Akbar visited 50
Figure 15. Akbar in discourse with the Jesuits Rudolf Aquaviva and Antonio Monserrate, at Fatehpur Sikri, 1580: page from the Akbarnama, painted by Nar Singh, 1597. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin (Ms 3, f.263b)
