Plato Charming the Wild Animals with Music is a Mughal miniature painting that was done by Madhu Khnazd (Madhu the Younger) and it is a section of the famous Khamsa of Nizami that was made at the imperial studio of Emperor Akbar, circa 1595-1596. The work, in opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper, reflects the high skill level and detail of the late sixteenth century. It was executed in a highly polished manner, as was typical for Mughal manuscript painting of the late sixteenth century.
This artwork illustrates an incident from the Is Kandarnama (Book of Alexander) written by Nizami Ganjavi in which Plato (Aflatun) the wise philosopher is said to have had music that calmed the wild. Sitting amongst the rocky landscape, Plato plays an instrument and wild animals (which appear to be lions, deer, birds, etc.) gather calmly around him. The docile natures of the animals symbolize the wise, learned, and artistic individual who can civilize nature itself.
This painting demonstrates the multicultural environment present in Akbar's empire. Although the Persian literature provided the story and the basis for the painting, it was done in Mughal India, a land filled with an abundance of native knowledge, artistic techniques and foreign inspirations. It is believed that possible European influences are evident in the style in which Plato's instrument is painted due to the European artists, such as the Jesuit missionaries, who made visits to India during the rule of Emperor Akbar.
Through the use of symbolism, this piece shows that all of nature can live in harmony. Music here is symbolic of knowledge in its highest form that can stop violence. In this painting we can see predator and prey coexist with no signs of fear or harm and this seems to represent the ultimate level of peace where reason has overcome all violence and confusion. This painting shows the unity of Greek knowledge, Persian traditions and Indian art during Akbar's domain and the multicultural and universal view that he possessed.
Positioned at the centre of the miniature, the European organ functions as more than just a musical instrument. Around it gather predators and prey, momentarily released from the antagonisms of nature. The painting visualizes a Persianate fantasy of cosmic order in which harmony is achieved through aesthetic enchantment. Read in a Mughal context, the scene resonates with imperial aspirations to govern diversity through attraction and persuasion, transforming the organ into a metaphor for sovereignty itself. The image is therefore about the dream of a political order capable of rendering difference harmonious without erasing it.
