The art of miniature painting as book illustration for non-religious purposes, was first introduced in India by the Mughal emperors who brought with them from Iran, artists trained in Safavid art.

Till the initial decades of the tremulous sixteenth century, the greater part of the Indian 

sub-continent had for long been ruled by Muslim Sultans. However, in 1526, two military adventurers from Turkestan, Babur and his son, Humayun turned their eyes towards the throne of Delhi when their own principality was snatched from them. They faced stiff opposition from the existing ruler and after the death of his father, Humayun took refuge in Iran at the court of his cousin, Tahmasp. During this long exile of 12 years, he acquired a taste for the exquisitely painted Iranian miniatures. On his return, he took with him two of the best artists in the Sultan's palace.

A crane from one of the illustrations of Baburnamah.

Humayun's son, Akbar (1542-1605) inherited his father's artistic leanings and his reign saw the amalgamation of the Iranian style with that of the traditional Indian art. Akbar, a farsighted ruler, encouraged this process by inviting to his court and patronising artists from all corners of India.

The Mughal miniatures of this period have a strong and clearly expressed narrative content, unlike the Iranian miniatures, which are more philosophical in nature. The brilliantly illustrated paintings glow as if illuminated from inside. The bold contrasts of red, blue, green and yellow owes a lot to native influence.

This detail from one of the illustrations from Akbarnamah lucidly depicts
the presence of people of varied origin in his kingdom.

During, Jehangir's (Akbar's son) reign, this art became more refined- smaller in scale and lighter in palette. From historical chronicles, these miniatures turned towards the representation of nature in all its glory. Paintings from this period are lyrical in style and often depict animals, birds, trees, flowers and portraits with great fidelity to the subject, without losing any of the artistic flow of the earlier age. These paintings are any connoisseur's delight.

Plants painted in the background in one of Shah Jahan's portrait.

At the same time, often the most refined artistic sensibilities were combined with complete indifference to the implications of the subject. For example, the above painting was painted because the condition of the courtier who was an opium addict struck Jahangir as being 'extraordinary'.

Imayat Khan dying, 1618

Jahangir's successor, Shah Jahan was also a lover of courtly arts. His reign saw the maturing of all visual arts, though he himself had a strong inclination towards architectural design. Anyway, painting continued to flourish in his court. However, after his death and especially after Aurangzeb's rule, the European influence began to hold sway over the art of painiting and though still quite elegant, the miniatures of this period couldn't match their predecessors.