R Nath Nath

Mughal Sculpture R Nath Nath

The present work is a study of stone-sculptures of birds, beasts, mythical animals, human beings and deities in Mughal Architecture. Only stone sculptures-both in relief and in full, round, free-standing form-have been studied. This is the first work on this novel and unique subject which, though these sculptures were all the time here, had been consistently overlooked and by-passed owing primarily to the fact that a life-time?s experience of this discipline is needed to take up a study of this type which is essentially related to the evolutionary process and the prototypes of this style. The age of Mughal Sculpture ranges from Babur to Jeh?ng?r, roughly from 1522 to 1627 A. D. Some masterpieces were produced during the course of its development. Jeh?ng?r?s reign (1605-27 A. D.) was certainly the golden era of Mughal Sculpture, when overall emphasis was given on the making of full, round, free-standing sculptures. Their quality too improved a lot and Jeh?ng?r?s sculptors not only made life-size, but also true-to-life sculptures which were conceptually, as much as artistically, superior even to the earlier sculptures of the Hindu period which either belonged to the "idealistic? or the "toys? class. Jeh?ng?r?s sculptures are as realistic as are the subjects depicted in contemporary painting. They vibrate with life. The art of sculpture developed as a court (durb?r?) art, and it goes to the credit of the Mughals that they secularised this art and completely freed it from all restrictions, compulsions and affiliations. A novel development of Mughal sculpture was that it no longer remained dependent and subservient to architecture, and it could stand independently, by virtue of its own inherent creativity, vigour and force. Mughal Sculpture derived basic inspiration from the native art, and this art grew and developed in Medieval India, obviously, on earlier traditions. Its roots have been identified and enumerated and tangible classification has been worked out.