The Analysis of the Princes of the House of Timur

By Rajvir Kaur and Amy Lau

     Babur became emperor in 1526 as well as ruled for 4 years. His child, Humayun, was ousted from the throne and spent fifteen years in exile. Among these years, 1544, the most remarkable in regards to Indian paint, was invested at the court of Shah Tahmasp of Persia. Humayun fulfilled 2 notable pupils of Bihzad, Khwaja Abdus Samad and Mir Sayyid Ali, and also invited them to India when he reclaimed his throne for only 7 months in 1555. It was from these musicians that Humayun and his child, Akbar, took lessons in drawing. An atelier was set up in the palace and the serious job of painting started. In Mughal court paint, what is even more interesting as well as probably more vital is that a strong common measure continues to be throughout to distinguish the form and also style from earlier and also later ones. The Timurids were the final dynasty to emerge from the Central Eastern steppe. In 1370, the eponymous creator, Timur (Tamerlane), who belonged to a Turko-Mongol tribe settled in Transoxiana, became master of this district as well as established Samarqand as his estate. To the west, Timurid’s army defeated the Mamluk military in Syria and also defeated the Ottomans at Ankara (1400-- 1402). By bringing artisans from various conquered lands to his capital in Samarkand, Timur started one of the most brilliant durations in Islamic art. Timurid art and design offered inspiration to lands extending from Anatolia to India. Though Timur's comprehensive realm itself was reasonably short-lived, his descendants continued to rule over Transoxiana as leading clients of Islamic art. 'Princes of your home of Timur' is one of the most essential of Mughal paintings, due to its plus-size and also very early day. Throughout this blog, I will try to discover the aesthetic result of the masterpiece on the audience as well as the components that make this artwork so special. The Mughal court presents the expression of creative activities in the field of paint of a merged as well as integrated form as well as design with a sense of objective and instructions. This effect is mostly upheld by an evaluation of the paints themselves, in spite of loved ones' variations, the design, and emphasis on styles conditioned by the preferences as well as predilections of individual emperors.

    The Princes of the House of Timur is known to be the earliest of all Mughal paintings, giving great significance to historic times. The painting depicts a Persian-style landscape with four figures seated within a pavilion and around with 12 figures of a variety of menservants. Princes of the House of Timur were painted through Mugal patronage at a time when the Mughal empire was being actively expanded. The biggest asset of the painting is the painting being damaged and missing some areas. The painting reappeared in Agra where it was purchased by the British Museum and by this time the painting had been damaged, resulting in complete loss of some areas while some were intentionally removed. “The painting is on fine cotton and although unhappily mutilated is of exquisite workmanship” means that it had been actively reshaped over and over rather than simply being in poor condition (L.R. Lee). Despite being in poor condition, vibrant colors of crimson, pink, purple, black, gold, silver, etc. are present which were accessible to the Timurids. Around the pavilion are individuals with various tasks from serving, entertaining, and listening. On the top right of the painting, there are servants serving food from ceramic pots to a tajine to preserve the foods’ warmth and flavor. In addition to the servants’ job, the servants can be depicted by the type of clothing they are wearing; fabric with only solid colors and a white turban. On the bottom of the painting are individuals who portray higher class and based on their stance, sitting by the pavilion, they can be depicted as scholars and nobles listening and giving insights into the conversation of Humayun and his important guest. From their appearance, their clothing also portrays the upper class based on their floral designs, colorful turbans, and layered clothing with various types of textiles. On the right-hand side of the painting, servants are also present but these servants are serving drinks which are portrayed as small ceramics on the wooden tray. These individuals are depicted as servants based on the type of turban and robe which they are wearing. Surrounding the left side of the pavilion are individuals who are depicted as the guests’ servants. Assets that portray them as the guests’ servants are from the gifts that they hold which can be seen as clothing and archery equipment. In addition, the turbans also depict that the guests and their servants are not from the empire based on the beaded turbans. Within the pavilion, on the right-hand side, the individual is depicted as Humayun due to his golden turban and larger form with three individuals who are the guests conversing with him on the left. The environment that the setting takes place in is in a garden pavilion which the pavilion is in the center of the painting, floral trees, and flowers surrounding the pavilion.

    Repainting portraying a banquet in a garden pavilion. In the artwork, a Persian-style landscape can be with a gold sky, trees, birds. There are figures in the background preparing food and serving it to the visitors. The central number seated in the structure is Humayun, facing him are Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan. The three figures seated on the right of the pavilion are Abu Bakr, Baisunghur, and also Shah Rukh. The five numbers seated diagonally left-wing, moving in the direction of the pavilion are Babur, ʿUmar Shaykh Mirza, Sultan Abu Said Mirza, Sultan Muhammad Mirza, and Miran Shah. Tiny engravings appear next to each figure. Painted in gouache on cloth, cotton. The painter attempted to suggest the area by depicting figures all at once at eye degree and from above, the straight view and also the ordered viewpoint, putting figures in their order of value and also providing a type of bird's eye view of the scene. Through wall surfaces, rocks, high cliffs, and buildings specific figures were brought right into the foreground and various other sets in the distance. All the personages are linked by motion, facial expression, and also proper positioning, as well as a harmonious balance, is maintained in the make-up. The colors were extra soft and combined well with each other. This nationalistic impact can be best seen in the representation of landscapes. Timurids were a realm that originated from non-royal blood yet aims to show their link to the Mongols by marrying women from Mongol families. They valued the arts and also utilized it as a method to achieve conditions in their society. If one was able to commission their own artwork that was well-detailed, after that they were seen with a lot more importance in their culture. The layout of the painting that the Timurids adhere to is an impact of timeless Iranian artwork modifications with the Timurids. Family history had extreme importance for the Mongols, possibly making use of trees in the painting reveals the significance of them for the Mongols. Timurids were a realm that originated from non-royal blood yet aims to reveal their link to the Mongols by marrying females from Mongol households. They valued the arts and utilized it as a means to accomplish conditions in their culture. If one was able to commission their extremely own artwork that was well-detailed, after that they were seen with a lot more importance in their culture. The picture additionally depicts the importance of the leader or ruler in the Mongols. This is depicted in the scene where the ruler is surrounded by others as well as individuals are offering food and presents to the ruler. The figures can also be seen bowing down to the ruler. This also reveals the concept that the rulers were worshipped like God. We can also see inscriptions that are just the names of every person highlighted in the artwork.

    The Princes of the House of Timur is thought to have been created c. 1555 by an unknown Timurid artist. Given the details of the painting, the central figure is believed to be Humayun, the second Mughal Emperor, with courtiers, nobles, and servants surrounded by him which creates a genealogical scene. The purpose of this painting is to portray imagery of the ruling house to represent the lifestyles of the event. Humayun established the precedent among Mughul emperors of constantly reiterating their dynamic identity when he commissioned the Princes of the House of Timur, showing early Mughal rulers seated in a garden pavilion with other Timurid rulers seated respectfully on either side (Lentz). The purpose of the meeting displayed on the painting is to portray that the garden was not only for visuals but for political events. This usage of the garden shows the great importance to the Timurids as a representation of the imagery of a gift to the eyes of an outsider. Based on textual and archaeological evidence, the environment is depicted as one of Timur’s Quadripartite Gardens. The garden pavilion was created in all aspects of the environment that it was placed in. This can be seen from the background of the mountains that the Timurids adapted to. The positioning and the development of the gardens were so important to the Timurids because it symbolizes the treasure of their land and the symbolic display of victory. The Timurids' usage of the garden displayed their way to control the landscape which offers a sense of pride in their empire to how beautiful their gardens were. The representations of each detail portray the pleasures and luxuries of the royal house which was recorded for the confirmations and prerogatives of Timurid power. The cultural activity played a vital role in the state’s effort to establish internal and external symbols of authority and legitimacy (Lentz). The establishment of the painting not only portrayed the event of rulers conversing with one another but the imagery engulfed the idea of the Timurids’ culture and traditions to bring an important aspect to the Timurids’ ideal image. Furthermore, individuals in the painting show a representation of diversity creating a sense of welcome to the theme of the painting. The diversity of the individuals also show the various types of clothing that they are wearing. The style and patterns of the clothing show that there is Safavid influence. The style of the Safavids’ clothing were robes, wide, gold-embellished sashes, and luxurious silk textiles such as floral designs. This can be seen throughout the individuals on the painting from the gold-embellished sashes and floral designs. 

    Based on the analysis of the painting, the Timurids portrayed an image of preservation and pride. The preservation of culture and traditions are shown preserved in the Mughal Empire. Having preservation of their culture and traditions, they have kept pride in the environment they have manifested within while maintaining the stability of the ruling. All the representations portrayed in the painting, this shows the ruling of Humayun within the Mughal Empire.

Becoming a Detective

(Figure 1)

In Figure 1, the image depicts a ceramic pot that is used for plants. This ceramic plot is connected to the Cizhou ware that was introduced in lecture. Cizhou ware is a middle-class aesthetic ceramic made out of crushed stone which continues in the Mongol period. The aspect of this ceramic is the stone would have drawings of another color on a plain background. Comparing the ceramic pot to Cizhou ware, we can see the similarities of techniques that were adapted such as a plain background with Chinese calligraphy and designs written in a different color on a ceramic pot. We can see that this technique is still used in the modern-day.

(Figure 2)

In Figure 2, I have captured a picture of a structure that resembles a post and lintel architecture technique. This picture was captured from my house, the front yard of my house. As we can see there are horizontal and vertical elements in the veranda and the horizontal elements are supporting the vertical elements, which greatly resembles the post and lintel architecture technique. 

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Citations

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