From ideal to reality : the philosophical norms in Akbari painting

The main object of this master???s thesis is to analyze the Persianate philosophical depth of\ud the miniature paintings produced for the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605). In\ud recent decades, the political and cultural goals that motivated Akbar???s patronage of\ud paintings have been discussed yet the philosophical norms that shaped his artistic\ud interests remain undefined. The argument of this thesis derives from the Persian akhlaq\ud digests, which describe the philosophical ideals of kingship and the civil state. My thesis\ud contends that these ideals were expressed in the Akbari paintings, particularly through the\ud illustrations from the Akbarnama, the official chronicle of Akbar