Mughal miniature painting : an analytical study of the translated-illustrated manuscripts of the Ramayana

Abstract

This research aims at identifying major illustrated Ramayana manuscripts that were produced under the patronage of the Muslim emperors of India during the Mughal era, and to provide an analytical investigation of the conceptual and artistic features of their illustrations. For this, a biographical and historical background of the ‘art of the book’ in India is provided along with an overall account of the cultural circumstances of the Mughal era. The focus of this study has been the four canonical Ramayana manuscripts that were commissioned and produced under the patronage of four outstanding historical figures, namely Emperor Akbar, Abd al-Raḥim Khan-i Khanan, Hamida Banu Begum, and Bir Singh Deo. To differentiate the aesthetic values of the Muslim Mughals and those of the local indigenous, selected contemporary copies of Ramayana produced in local Hindu courts have also been studied. This research displays, through the study of a wide range of manuscripts and the high quality of their production – both in commissioning their translation to Persian and the artistic aspect of the works – the genuine interest of the Muslim Mughals in the religion and culture of the Hindu people whom they ruled. It also shows that from the artistic perspective, the productions followed the taste of the patrons, namely the emperors, princes, high ranking administrators, and governors. The four canonical manuscripts of the Mughal court Ramayanas exhibit distinct formal and stylistic features that are characteristic of Mughal miniature painting. Such features visually separate them from the provincial copies produced under the Hindu patronage. However a comparative analysis of the Mughal miniature paintings of the Mughal Ramayanas also showcases the artistic differences (in terms of theme, composition, colour, visual elements, treatment of figures and so on) and provides each manuscript an exceptional characteristic; thematic and detailed formalistic surveys based on qualitative and quantitative approaches as the main methodology of the research. The main findings which are detailed knowledge about the form and subject of each copy derived from this approach can be seen in detailed tables provided for the selected paintings