Elephant Hunt, Mughal, late 16th century (Cambridge, Fogg Museum of Art)

Mughal art developed its chief characteristics during the reign of Akbar the Great (1556-1605). Akbar had studied under Persian masters while a boy in Kabul, and had learned to appreciate the linear delicacy and refined harmonies of Persian art. But the style which he encouraged in his court was less formal and decorative and more dynamic and expressive, like Akbar himself. The two paintings by Mir 'ali had a static quality, for all the crowded composition and naturalistic detail. Ugly or disturbing details were glossed over, and although activities were portrayed, the sense of action or emotion was lacking. Mughal paintings were done on a larger scale, often in brighter colours, with every line and tone expressing vigor and activity. In the scene of an elephant hunt, the water foams and eddies, the elephants gesticulate with their trunks, and even the rocks along the stream seem to writhe and pulsate with life. The vital intensity and the rougher brushwork derived from the indigenous tradition