Babur's Army Attacking the Fort of Bishkaran
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Gouache |
| Current Location: | The British Library, London |
| Location History: | This painting was originally part of a complete manuscript created in the Imperial Mughal Workshop (Karkhana) in India. It was commissioned by Emperor Akbar to document his grandfather's life. It remained in the Mughal royal library for centuries until it was acquired by the British Museum in the late 19th century and later transferred to the British Library. |
One of the most fascinating aspects of Mughal miniatures are the fact that they don't shy away from portraying the most gruesome and gorish details when they present a battle scene. Even in this painting, it becomes so clearly visible if we look at the specific details, like the soldier's head that appears to have been chopped off, then the other soldiers getting pierced by the spears and arrows and the blood dripping out of those wounds. There is like very little censorship added to it. This also proves how Mughal miniatures weren't simply decorative art pieces, but rather they had a lot of history attached to it. It was almost like these paintings itself as used to record and document events. Of course, the other intention to legitimise or elevate a ruler's achievements might have been another reason for these being painted, but the level of skill and mastery that these artists had is certainly something that simply cannot be overlooked.