In the imperial workshops of the late 16th Century CE in the Mughal Empire, a painter named Shankar or Sankar helped change the way Persian-Indian art was seen. He worked with the support of Emperor Akbar, and Shankar became an important storyteller in the royal atelier, turning big stories into colorful pictures. His careful brushwork brings to life the history pages of the Akbarnama and the strong magical fights of the Razmnama (the Persian version of the Mahabharata). He worked in an advanced and team-based system, and Shankar often worked with famous designers like Basawan and Lal, acting as the person who made their big ideas come to life with amazing colors and unique details. He was especially known for his skill with watercolors and gold, showing the strong feelings of court politics and old myths. Now his remaining pages are kept in museums, like the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Chicago Art Museum, etc. For anyone looking into the start of Asian art, Shankar’s work shows a time when different cultures worked together to make some of the world's best artworks.

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