From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the Mughals dominated South Asia, and they took their art seriously. The Mughal period is associated with a growth in beautiful art and architecture. Handwritten books and poetry were decorated with patterns, borders, and small, detailed paintings called miniatures. These works are called illuminated manuscripts and they provide us with lots of information about the Mughal court. Mughal miniature painting was a blend of Persian and Indian styles that developed in Mughal courts between the 16th and 19th centuries. The Mughals were fond of laying gardens with running water. Some of the Mughal gardens such as the Nishat Bagh in Kashmir, the Shalimar Bagh at Lahore and the Pinjore garden in the Punjab. This comprehensive book on Mughal art is an overview study of Mughal Period and their contribution to art and architecture. It is a must read book for graduate students, researchers and artists.
Nandini Kamlesh Singh is Associate Professor in the Department of History at Sido Kanhu Murmu University, Dumka, Jharkhand. She has attended many national and international seminars. Her several research papers have been published in reputed journals.
From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the Mughals dominated South Asia, and they took their art seriously. The Mughal period is associated with a growth in beautiful art and architecture. Handwritten books and poetry were decorated with patterns, borders, and small, detailed paintings called miniatures. These works are called illuminated manuscripts and they provide us with lots of information about the Mughal court. Mughal miniature painting was a blend of Persian and Indian styles that developed in Mughal courts between the 16th and 19th centuries. The Mughals were fond of laying gardens with running water. Some of the Mughal gardens such as the Nishat Bagh in Kashmir, the Shalimar Bagh at Lahore and the Pinjore garden in the Punjab. Mughal miniatures were small (many not more than a few square inches), brightly colored, and highly detailed paintings mostly used to illustrate manuscripts and art books. Despite their tiny sizes, they are incredibly precise, with some lines painted using brushes composed of a single hair.
Mughal architecture is the distinctive Indo-Islamic architectural style that developed in northern and central India under the patronage of Mughal emperors from the 16th to the 18th century. It is a remarkably symmetrical and decorative amalgam of Persian, Turkish, and Indian architecture. The Mughals were also renowned for creating exquisite gardens in the Persian charbagh layout, in which the quadrilateral gardens were divided by walkways or flowing water into four smaller parts. One of the most stellar accomplishments of Mughal architecture under Akbar is the tomb of his father Humayun, situated in Delhi. Commissioned in 1562 by Humayun's wife, Hamida Banu Begum, and designed by a Persian architect, Humayun's Tomb was the first garden tomb on the Indian subcontinent and the first structure to use red sandstone on such a large scale. It is also the first Indian building to use the Persian double dome, with an outer layer supporting a white marble exterior-a material not seen in earlier Mughal architecture-and the inner layer giving shape to the cavernous interior volume. The use of indigenous Rajasthani decorative elements is particularly striking, including the small canopies or chhatris (elevated, dome shaped pavilions) surrounding the central dome. It boasts the use of the pietra dura technique, with marble and even stone inlay ornamentation in geometrical and arabesque patterns on the facade of the mausoleum, and jali or latticed stone carving decoration. This style of decorative facade was an important addition to Mughal architecture and flourished in later Mughal mausolea, including the Taj Mahal. During Aurangzeb's reign (1658-1707), brick and rubble with stucco ornamentation replaced squared stone and marble as the building materials of choice. Aurangzeb was responsible for additions to the Lahore Fort: building one of the 13 gates, which was named for him, and building the Badshahi mosque, a structure constructed from brick with red sandstone facades. In general, however, Mughal architecture had begun to decline during Aurangzeb's reign, a process that would accelerate after his death.
This comprehensive book on Mughal art is an overview study of Mughal Period and their contribution to art and architecture. It is a must read book for graduate students, researchers and artists.
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