Indian sculpture and painting, illustrated by typical masterpieces, with an explanation of their motives and ideals . pier of thepalace, begging mercy from his jailors or execu-tioners—the two dark-complexioned men standingby him. From their deprecating air, and theexpression of sorrow on their faces, the latterappear to be performing a very painful duty. A bowl is placed on the ground close to the feetof one of them. Does it contain the fatal draughtwith which the Mogul emperors so often disposedof those who incurred their displeasure ? and, if so,who is the unfortunate victim here represente
Indian sculpture and painting, illustrated by typical masterpieces, with an explanation of their motives and ideals . pier of thepalace, begging mercy from his jailors or execu-tioners—the two dark-complexioned men standingby him. From their deprecating air, and theexpression of sorrow on their faces, the latterappear to be performing a very painful duty. A bowl is placed on the ground close to the feetof one of them. Does it contain the fatal draughtwith which the Mogul emperors so often disposedof those who incurred their displeasure ? and, if so,who is the unfortunate victim here represented ?Or does this picture illustrate the tradition thatAurangztb bricked up a portion of the Agrapalace to prevent the escape of his father, ShahJahan ? Whatever may be the subject, the marvellouslyrefined technique and exquisite feeling for colourgive it a rare distinction. The nearly nude figuresof the workmen are unusually fine in drawing andmodelling; the natural freedom of their move-ments shows what immense strides the artists of PLATE LXIIISCENE IN A PALACE COURTYARD p^wpJlSUtWlUi WBWBWH^UJtlff WW ? ?. EUROPEAN INFLUENCE 219 the Mogul Court had made in the study of lifesince the days of Akbar. As a rule, there is very little evidence of Euro-pean influence in Mogul painting. The Mogulartists sometimes made copies of European pictureswhen they were required to do so, but their ownwork does not show that they ever took any realinterest in them. The endeavour to assimilateEuropean ideas is nearly always disastrous to theoriental artist, on account of the opposition betweenhis views of life and of Nature and those whichgovern Western art. A curious instance of this is to be found in thework of a Persian artist of the early seventeenthcentury, who was sent to Europe by Shah Abbasto study painting in Rome. His pictures, someof which are now preserved in the British Museum,reveal a hopeless conflict between his subconsciousviews of art and his painful effort to show thingsas he
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