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Miniature painting, like many other great arts, was brought
to India by the Mughals with the valuable assistance of the Persians. Of
all the art forms in the Mughal period, miniature paintings are
painstakingly painted creations that depict the events and life style of
the Mughals in their magnificent palaces. 
Other paintings include portraits or studies of wildlife and plants. This
art is still alive and popular in
Rajasthan and
Uttar Pradesh. These miniature paintings are every
connoiseur's delight.
The Themes And The Inspiration
Inspired by the royal and romantic lives of the Mughals, these paintings
show one moment at a time, in minute details. The court artists, who
actually watched the royalty, to capture the moments on canvas instead of
stretching their imagination, made the Mughal Paintings.
The love scenes, the court scenes, various solitary women, animals,
flowers, all were closely observed and reproduced simultaneously. The
floral paintings can be easily matched with the carving on the monuments
of the glorious Mughal era.
The History Of Mughal Miniatures
The origin of Mughal miniatures dates back to the reign of Humayun, who
developed a taste for the exquisitely painted Iranian miniatures.
Akbar inherited his father's aristic leanings and the amalgamation of the
traditional Indian art with Iranian art became evident. The Mughal
miniatures of this period have a strong and clearly expressed narrative
content, unlike the Iranian miniatures, which are more philosophical in
nature. The brilliantly illustrated paintings glow as if illuminated from
inside.
In
Jehangir's reign, the refinement of this art took place with the
miniatures becoming smaller in scale and lighter in palette. Paintings
from this period are lyrical in style and often depict animals, birds,
trees, flowers and portraits with great fidelity to the subject, without
losing any of the artistic flow of the earlier age.
The art flourished during the period of Shahjahan also but by the end of
Aurangzeb's rule, the Western influence became quite dominant and the
Mughal miniatures of this period are, in no way, a comparison to the
elegance of the preceding periods.
A Peculiar Mughal Miniature
A typical miniature has a phrase or poetry written on the upper or the
lower end. They are essentially written in Urdu script. The decorative
look of the script merges into the paintings as a part of it rather than a
piece of poetry or phrase.
A Collector's Pride
Many of these paintings are just preserved by the art lovers as antiques.
They are seldom seen framed on the walls. They are preserved very
carefully and they are always objects of pride for an art collector.
In modern times, many reprints or reproduction of the originals are used
for giving the interior, a special grace. They are used on bed linens,
furniture like chairs, tables or cupboards and wall hangings.