Deeply influenced by a diverse mix of cultural, regional and artistic traditions, the Mughal school of painting remains one of the richest and most productive schools in the history of Indian and Islamic painting. Its corpus assimilates traits from various art schools that flourished in the Indian subcontinent with Persian and Central Asian traditions, as well as that of European Renaissance art, especially humanism. It constitutes the most extensive source of visual reconstruction of the life, work and manners of Mughal society, thus presenting a wealth of information on the period. The paintings also depict non-Islamic mythological and religious themes and portray wildlife amidst naturalistic surroundings.

In this short introduction the author provides a detailed survey of paintings created in ateliers under the patronage of the Mughal emperors in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Showcasing works from renowned collections, this book highlights the aesthetic and intellectual facets of Mughal painting and serves the purpose of a basic reference on the subject.

The atelier -- The art of book-illustration -- Portraiture -- Depictions of natural history -- Border decoration -- Humanism in Mughal painting -- Artists' signatures.