The Decorative Arts and Crafts

But in the realm of the decorative arts and crafts, India's legacy had few challengers. The Mughals were especially great patrons of the decorative arts, and although initially it appears they may have favored imports from Persia and China, Indian manufactures rapidly perfected and enhanced imported styles and techniques. Indian textiles had always been known for their rich colors and variety of design, and Indian steel products commanded worldwide respect. But very rapidly India also emerged as a preeminent center for a variety of fine arts and crafts, excelling in the manufacture of all manner of objects sought by the royalty including luxuriant carpets, decorated metal-ware, fine jewelry, glass and jade-ware. Although initially, the impetus for some of these crafts may have come from China, Central Asia or Persia - by the late 16th-17th century, rulers in both China and Persia coveted luxury-ware from India, and sought to imitate the perfection of Mughal manufactures in their own ateliers.

But the Mughals were not alone in their encouragement of fine arts and crafts. The Rajput courts were more than equal to the Mughals, and far more amenable to the employment of traditional and folk elements in their furniture, jewelry and other decorative crafts. They also displayed a greater fondness for bold and saturated colors whereas the Mughals (like Shahjahan) showed a distinct preference for formal graces. When the Mughal empire collapsed, it was the Rajput courts that became the models for the regional Sikh kingdoms, the hill kingdoms, the kingdoms of Bundelkhand and Benares, and also the Nawabs of Bengal and Awadh to an extent. The Deccan courts also played a significant part in encouraging the decorative arts and crafts, and they too exerted a strong influence on the courts in Cuttack, as on Lucknow.