The Mughal school of miniature painting flourished in northern India in
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, chiefly under the patronage of
the emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Rooted in a diversity of
cultural, religious and artistic traditions, it became one of the
richest and most productive schools in the whole history of Islamic art.
In this beautifully illustrated book the author surveys the development
of Mughal painting, from its early beginnings to the masterpieces
created by the court studios for the books and albums of their demanding
imperial patrons. He describes the historical setting in which the
Mughal artists worked and the materials and techniques they used to
create their brilliant effects. The paintings reproduced here cover the
whole range of Mughal miniature art, from manuscript illustrations of
biographical, historical or mythological works to courtly portrait
albums, with both human and animal subject.