International studio (80.1925)

mceRHAcionAL

AN ILLUSTRATION FROM THE ROMANCE OF AMIR HAMZAH
In the Kaiser Friedricb Museum in Berlin

Hamzah were done in the early part of the period quite similar in outward form, was developed

of Akbar, the transition period in Mughal paint- under the Rajputs of Rajputani and was devoted

ing, representing the grafting of Persian form on to Hindu subjects, to Hindu folklore and legend

Hindu spirit and while in the main these minia- and domestic scenes. But so closely did the

tures bear a more obvious relation to the former Hindus working for their own people follow the

than to the latter, there is now and again a flash methods of the Hindus who were working under

of the bigness of spirit, a touch of the interested Persian masters that the resemblance of a Rajput

observation of life which is a purely Indian inher- painting to a Mughal is often that of one twin to

itance from the wall painters of Ajanta. And another. The illustrations for the Romance of

while we are on the subject of this union of Hindu Amir Hamzah, a Persian novel, the work being

and Persian art it may be helpful to differentiate done directly under Akbar's supervision, are

between the two forms which it took—Mughal classed as Mughal. There were fourteen hundred

and Rajput. The Mughal painters were court illustrations made for the Romance. Abu'I FazI,

painters, directly in the employ of the king, who was Akbar's historian, records in the A'in-i-

executing his commands, making portraits of him- Akbari that "The story of Hamzah was repre-

selfand the officers of his court, portraying courtly sented in twelve volumes and clever painters

ceremonies, hunts and battles. The Rajput school, made the most astonishing illustrations for no

FEBRUARY I 9 2 5

three fifty-one