Akbar Shah II and his four sons

This painting from the Mughal era is the work of Ghulam Murtaza Khan. It shows a moment when everything is still and the emperor is being very dignified. The emperor is sitting on a platform with a carpet. He is in the center of Everything and around him there is calmness. There is a halo around his head which shows that he is an important person. This is something that is often seen in paintings of emperors. This painting is very different from other Mughal paintings, showing of big gatherings. It is simple and peaceful. The sky is blue and it takes up most of the upper half pf the painting. Surrounding the emperor are his four Sons, and two servants waving fan for the emperor. The patterns and designs on the robes of the attendees and carpet are very elegant. The painting is showing symmetry. Ghulam Murtaza Khan was a skilled artist. He was able to show the balance between the Mughal way of life and the new influences from other countries. This painting is not a picture of the emperor. It is a look at the declining Mughal period. It shows how the old ways of doing things were still important when the world, around them was changing. The painting shows ceremony, diplomacy and memory all surviving when the Mughal empire was fading away. Ghulam Murtaza Khan's painting is a special work of art that shows the Badshah was still prescribed to the old ways of running the court when there is a crisis at hand.