Emperor Akbar’s commissioned a translation of the Baburnama into Persian. In this splendid manuscript Babur’s lively descriptions of Hindustan’s animals, birds, plants, fruits and flowering trees were illustrated.

Humayun was interested in paintings from an early age. His father records gifting him illustrated manuscripts that were found in the library of the vanquished Ghazi Khan. This interest in painting intensified during his time at the Persian court of Shah Tahmasp. On recovering the throne of Kabul, Humayun invited artists to his court, offering them gold, silver and royal honours. He held artists in very high esteem: he had divided his administration into three classes, one of which, Ahl-i Murad or ‘those who are desired’, included architects, painters, musicians, as they were deemed the ‘delight of the world’. 

Humayun’s patronage laid the foundation for a distinct Mughal painting style. Young Akbar, on Humayun’s orders, learnt painting. He inherited artists from his father’s court and soon more than a hundred painters, predominantly Hindus, were honoured as ‘masters’. His influence on the arts was to be spectacular. Akbar, from the 1560s onwards, commissioned several illustrated manuscripts, and amongst them were the history of his own reign and the Persian translations of Mahabharata and Ramayana, all containing hundreds of illustrations of the text in the new Mughal style.

Astrolabe by Muhammad Muqim ‘Humayuni’
This Astrolabe has five plates, a Rete with 44-star positions marked and an elegantly reticulated kursi. Here, 116 cities have been accurately marked on four circles.

This Humayun statue represents Humayun’s royal attire and planetary affiliation for Sunday, Sun – Yellow attire. It was the day assigned for reception for regulating affairs of the kingdom and distribution of rewards for nobles.
Humayun organized his administration based on his knowledge of the cosmos with ministries of Atashi (fire), Hawa’i (air), and Abi (water). The Ministry of Water would thus be responsible for irrigation while the Ministry of Fire would oversee the army’s artillery and weapons.
Many schools of Hindu astrology consider each planet to be associated with a specific influence; and those specific planets govern specific days of the week. Humayun followed this system and when organizing his daily schedule, he would only attend to subjects related to that day’s particular planet—for instance, he would administer justice on Tuesdays, the day governed by the red planet Mars. 
 

Mughals had a profound love of gardens. Royal encampments in gardens were settings for official and private events, all held in the setting of blossoming trees and flowers. Numerous miniature paintings depict significant court events such as this feast in a garden, enjoyed on imported Chinese porcelain vessels.
This splendid painting captures a lively feast in a garden setting. Emperor Babur is seated on a large platform covered with carpets and textiles, under the shade of exquisite tents. He feasts in the company of Qizilbash, Uzbek and Hindu envoys.