The inspiration behind Mughal Miniatures

In this blog we’ll be sharing more about the inspiration behind our hit-outdoor performance series, Mughal Miniatures.

The five shows (The Awakening, Animal Paradise, The Elephant and the Drummer, The Peacock and the Princess walkabout and The Elephant and the Drummer walkabout) are inspired by the traditional art of Indian and Persian miniature painting - particularly those from the Mughal era, bringing this amazing bit of history and culture to urban high streets, green-field festivals and communities around the UK!



 About the Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire began in 1526 and lasted for over 200 years, ruled by six emperors during that period. At its peak it covered modern day India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Empire was founded by Babur, a Muslim warrior prince from Central Asia, who descended from the Mongols. Mughal is the Persian-Arabic term for Mongol.

Akbar is considered the greatest of the Mughal Emperors proving an extremely capable ruler, able to expand and stabilise the vast territories of the empire. He is recognised as setting up the political, administrative, and military structures that would ensure the empire’s success.

The Mughal emperors were Muslim and most of their subjects were Hindu, so it was important that the Mughal emperors supported religious tolerance. Akbar particularly championed this: he appointed Hindu councillors and actively encouraged dialogue between Hindus, Parsis, Muslims and Christians, and ensured Muslims and non-Muslims enjoyed the same rights.

Following the death of Aurangzeb, the last Mughal Emperor, the Mughal Empire fell into decline and local princes fought for control of the empire. The British East India Company used the wars between local princes to take control of land for themselves. From 1857 Mughal India was officially a colony of the British crown, and the Mughal Empire had come to an end.

Arts and culture in the Mughal Empire
Bringing together influences from across Europe, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, the Mughal emperors were passionate patrons of the Arts, resulting in a Golden Age of art, design and architecture. At its peak the Mughal Empire was extremely wealthy and, as a result, emperors were able to commission grand buildings showcasing the exquisite architecture of the age for example, the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Badshahi Mosque to name but a few!

In the royal workshops, Hindu and Muslim artists and craftsmen from the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent worked with Iranian masters. They created a new style of art bringing together the highly detailed surface ornamentation of Iranian art, with the naturalism of birds and animals found in Hindustani traditions. This new and evolving style was also brought into the architecture and craftsmanship of the time.

Like Akbar’s court and workshops, Sonia Sabri Company have actively brought artists from different forms, cultures and backgrounds to create our Mughal Miniature performances. The shows successfully combine Indian classical art forms with contemporary and urban styles, to share and explore heritage. Like our rich and diverse British culture, the shows demonstrate how different cultures can complement and enhance each other, sharing common themes and creating something new and beautiful.



The miniature paintings
Often only a few inches in size, these exquisite paintings were colourful, highly detailed and painted with richly decorative frames. Usually, the paintings were created as book illustrations or single works that were kept safe in albums.

Artists would sit on the floor working at low tables or boards. The artworks were painted on fine paper or vellum, using the finest natural pigments such as yellow ochre, indigo, lapis lazuli, and vermillion, as well as gold and silver leaf. The artists would use expertly carved reed pens and fine animal-hair brushes to paint in the tiny details.

Though highly decorative, these minute paintings still provided glimpses of life at the time, capturing scenes from the royal court, wildlife, battles and hunting expeditions. However, very much like social media today, these paintings tended to show idealised or romanticised representations of life.

Sonia Sabri Company’s Mughal Miniatures performances create living pictures, incorporating the rich colours, patterns and traditional costume of the original paintings. The themes are of each show are also inspired by recurring characters and themes found in the paintings but with a contemporary twist, creating narratives that are hugely relevant to life today and provide a valuable opportunity to provoke dialogue and discussion.

The Awakening, inspired by the idealised representations of life in the Mughal court gently challenges social stereotypes and expectations, of women in particular. Animal Paradise inspired both by the hunting scenes and perfect representations of plants and animals found in the paintings, explores themes of humans’ exploitation of the natural world and whether it’s possible for humans to live in harmony with the environment.



Elephants were a favourite subject of the miniature paintings and as well as traditional Indian stories in which elephants would feature often. In ancient times, elephants would be kept as symbols of prestige, used for war, entertainment, punishment and travelling. The Elephant and The Drummer provides a joyful alternative adaptation on the depiction of these beautiful animals, whilst also tackling themes of body positivity and self-acceptance.

Even our walkabout performances are inspired by the paintings, designed to look as though the characters in the paintings had come to life and walked off the page!

Where can I see Mughal Miniature paintings in the UK?
The following museums have public displays of Mughal art, so why not go and see some for yourself?

• V&A, London
  
• British Museum, London
  
• Royal Collections, Various Sites
  
• Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
  
• Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
  
• Hatton Gallery
  
• Manchester Museum
  
• National Museum of Scotland