Description
Basawan was one of the greatest painters in the atelier of Mughal India. He worked for approximately 40 years at the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar. His art, tinged with grace, balance, and a subtle harmony, reveals an innate sense of moderation, a penchant for fluid and masterful lines, and a love for rigorously constructed compositions. Confronted with hitherto unknown examples of Occidental art, introduced at the court in the second half of the 16th century by the Jesuit missionaries, Basawan enriched his style and thematic repertory with stylistic elements which were at the time unusual in the context of the Indian pictorial tradition. Basawan’s renown, widespread even during his lifetime, greatly contributed to the fact that the artist illustrated most of the imperial manuscripts, including the Hamza-nama, Tuti-nama, and Razm-nama.