Indian Traditions of Visual Arts (Drik Kala): Painting - Miniature Paintings in Manuscripts

Miniature Paintings in Manuscripts:

• The term 'miniature' comes from the Latin word 'minimum,' which means 'red lead paint.' 
• Manuscript illustrations were methodically conceived in thematic sets.  
• Paintings from the medieval period have earned a generic name, for example, miniature paintings, owing to their relatively smaller size.
• These miniature paintings were hand-held and observed from a closer distance due to their minutiae.
• A large section of paintings is appropriately referred to as manuscript illustrations as they are pictorial translations of poetic verses from epics and various canonical, literary, bardic, or music texts (manuscripts), with verses handwritten on the topmost portion of the painting in clearly demarcated box-like space. Sometimes, one finds the text not in the front but behind the work of art.
• Early manuscripts contain miniature paintings that exhibit Persian influence.  
  

1. The Mughal School of Miniature Painting:

• The birth of the Mughal School of Painting is seen as a turning point in Indian painting history.
• The Mughal School of painting emerged under the reign of Akbar in 1560 CE, when the Mughal empire was established.
• Two Persian masters, Mir Sayyed Ali and Abdul Samad Khan, who had previously worked for his father Humayun, were hired to run Nigaar Khana, a painting studio, at the start of his reign.
• The most skilled Persian and indigenous Indian artists of that time. This integrated composition of Indo-Persian artists led to the development of a unique style in this period. 
• Paintings recorded and documented significant events, personalities, and interests of the emperors. These were meant to be seen by the royals only. The paintings were made to suit the sensitivity of the royals or were often made for intellectual stimulation. The paintings were a part of manuscripts and albums. 
• Akbar envisioned cultural integration and commissioned the translation of several revered Hindu texts.
• The first piece of the Mughal School appears to be an illustrated manuscript of the Tutinama that is housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art in the United States.
  

  Tutinama: The Girl and the Parrot, 1580-1585, Chester Beatty Library, Dublin

• Mughal paintings reached their pinnacle during Jahangir's reign. The use of decorated margins around paintings was one of the distinct trends that emerged during this time period.
• The tone of Mughal art changed dramatically during Shah Jahan's reign. He discouraged artists from using charcoal in their drawings and instead encouraged them to draw and sketch with a pencil.

2. The Deccan School of Miniature Painting:

• The history of Deccani Painting can largely be constructed from the late sixteenth century until the 1680s - the time when the Mughals conquered the Deccan.
• A highly developed and distinctive school of court painting emerged in the kingdoms of Bijapur, Golconda, and Ahmadnagar.
• Its distinctive sensuality and vibrant colours are strongly reminiscent of local aesthetics. The school emphasised thick composition and made an effort to convey a romantic air, which always came over in an idiom that was eloquently natural and vibrant.
  

  Sultan I brahim Adil Shah II Hawking

  Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah of Bijapur, National Museum, New Delhi, India.