Mughal Miniature Paintings - Understanding the Colors of the Medieval Art Form

1. Sign in ♥    400,000+ beautiful handpicked products Mughal Miniature Paintings : Understanding the Colors of the Medieval Art Form Article of the Month - Jul 1999 This article by The original version was written by Nitin Kumar It was revised in 12th September 2024 by Prakriti Anand, who is currently pursuing her PhD in Ancient Indian History from the University of Delhi. Prakriti has experience working with organizations in the realms of heritage, art, and history and is committed to advancing contributions to the field of culture. (VIEWED 33644 TIMES SINCE JUL 1999) Add a Comment When you take a look at a classic Mughal miniature painting, what will catch your eyes in first glance is the richness of colors, variety of hues, and contrast and balance struck between different shades. Used to literally “illuminate” the books of Mughal period, these paintings were meant to be effective and dramatic that can convey the stories and historical sagas in a perfect visual narrative. The colors of Mughal paintings were traditionally prepared from a variety of natural sources, that gave each folio the stunning appeal for which miniatures are known. The process of preparing the pigments for these artworks is itself an interesting journey. Let us take a closer look at how the colors for Mughal paintings are prepared, and understand why this art form continues to attract art lovers after centuries. Method of Preparing Colors by Miniature Painting Artists At first the available colors are ground on a stone slab (by rubbing or grounding) to bring them in a powder form. Some artists use mortar and pestle of a very hard quality stone. Then that color is dissolved in water along with some gum and then filtered. The filtration process is continued till the color becomes totally earth or sand free. Thereafter water is removed and the color is dried and kept in form of balls. When required, the desired color along with some dry gum is dissolved slowly in water with the help of finger or thumb. The color is now ready. By dissolution, the color starts getting thicker and gains the consistency of a paste and then pressure is required to be applied. The color gets well mixed from the strength applied at this time. This process is termed as tempering. Thus this process is termed as Tempera. If the color is once allowed to get dry and then made thinner as per requirement by adding water then it gives better results. Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF

2. The colors used in painting can be divided into four main groups: 1. Earth or mineral colors 2. Vegetable colors 3. Oxide colors 4. Metal colors Earth or Mineral Colors Colors available in the form of stones come under this category. For example consider the color black . Black is a basic color. A sand lamp is placed over a lighted lamp till black soot or lamp black "kajal' is obtained therefrom. Babul gum, Acacia resin and water are added to this kajal and ground slowly with the first finger till it gets tempered to obtain a fine black color. Black ink is also prepared at Jaipur in this manner. The only difference in the writing ink and black color is that the former has more gum than the latter. color prepared from the soot of a lamp using mustard oil, though being a watercolor, is unassailable by water after it has dried on the paper. Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF

3. Vegetable Colors The colors obtained from different parts of trees or plants come under this category. For example, the preparation of Red color from the bark of the peepal tree. The bark is immersed in water and cleaned. Then it is crushed along with borax -suhaga and heated in an iron pot. This makes the color come out. This color can be preserved in cotton wool or it can be kept secure by concentrating in tablet form. Oxide or Chemical Colors These are obtained by burning, pulverizing or mixing various materials by chemical process. For example, consider the emperor of all green colors, the Jangal color. Copper powder one ser (One ser = 900 gms. approx.) and Nausadar (sal-ammoniae) two ser both should be kept in a copper pot. Lime juice should be squeezed into it till it is two fingers (about one inch) above the medicine (material in the pot). Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF

4. The mouth of the pot should now be covered by a cloth. It should be kept forty days in that condition. The material should then be ground in the same juice and then dried up in shade. Good quality Jangal will result. Whenever required, it should be mixed with glue to use. Gum doesn't suit this color. Metal Colors The fine powder of gold, silver and lead have been used in paintings as well as mica pieces. It can be ground and applied like other colors. Gold leaves are used in two ways. In the first process, the leaves are pasted directly. For this a mixture of glue and sugar is applied at the required spot in the required size. Thereafter the gold leaves are pasted, moistening it with mouth vapours in between. Minute and fine work is done by means of golden or silver powder specially prepared. It is called Hilkari in local dialect. To prepare Hilkari, a thick paste of gum, glue or honey is applied on a metal plate. The gold leaf is pasted over it and it is rubbed with the help of four fingers or the palm in a rotating manner. By doing so, the leaves turn into a fine powder. It is necessary that the paste on the plate should be thick. If the paste is thin then the gold leaves would turn into balls. This finely ground gold powder is transferred to a tumbler gradually and simultaneously with water. In the end the whole glass is filled with water and the Hilkari. It is left as such for 24 hours and then the water is drained off. The gold or silver settles at the bottom. When required, it may be applied after mixing a small quantity of gum. On rubbing agate stone over it, that part begins to shine like gold. With Hilkari the quantity of gum should not be much otherwise the gold would not shine. Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF

5. Wrapping Up A transformative stage in Indian art is captured by Mughal miniatures. An amalgamation of Indian, Islamic, Persian, Turkish, regional, and personal aesthetics of rulers and artists, these small frames contain a world of wonder for the viewer. The technique of Mughal paintings was developed from traditional methods as well as experiments of the painters. Once the paintings were finished, the surface was burnished with a gemstone called Agate, the friction, heat, and pressure resulted in added depth to the image and a radiance in the colors. Timeless iconography and techniques perfected over a period of time, Mughal miniatures and their colors have an unfading presence in Indian art tradition. At Exotic India Art, there is a handpicked collection of paintings made by artists who have learned from the masters, with their roots in the Karkhana of the Mughal rulers. Explore the collection of Mughal miniatures, and pick your favorite portraiture, nature studies, and medieval royal episodes now! Add a review Your email address will not be published * Comment Full Name * Email * Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF

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