Diplomacy

“With whom do you hold parties? With whom do you drink wine?” —Babur*

Networking

For Babur, diplomacy took many forms. Musical performances, receptions, and drinking parties were all forms of statecraft, designed to build alliances between wary nobles and the fledgling ruler. The mountains around Kabul, which Babur captured in 1504, provided many opportunities for scenic, multiday outings. The Baburnama contains detailed accounts of the dignitaries who were present, the gifts exchanged, and the general conduct at these receptions. Bolstered by wine and narcotics, these events sometimes turned into raiding parties, which were essential to consolidating Babur’s meager territory. From Kabul, Babur launched a series of expeditions into India, eventually defeating the Lodi dynasty of Delhi at the Battle of Panipat in 1526.

Like Babur, the Persian artist Farrukh Beg was an emigre to the Indian subcontinent. Arriving at the court of Babur’s grandson Akbar, he contributed these exquisitely detailed paintings that were bound into the first imperial copy of the Baburnama, which was completed in 1589.

*Thackston, Wheeler M., trans. The Baburnama: Memoirs of Babur, Prince and Emperor. New York: Oxford University Press in association with Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1996. 436.

Depicting Diplomacy

Though Babur describes receptions at Kabul and Delhi, these two illustrations are generalized palace scenes. Farrukh Beg likely created both paintings for another project and altered them slightly to fit the new manuscript. Trained in Iran, Farrukh Beg adapted to new tastes in India. In the first painting, most figures have round, idealized faces in the Persian mode, but some, like the black-robed elder courtier to Babur’s left, display the softly modeled, expressive faces favored at Akbar’s court. The flat panels of decoration and minutely patterned surfaces are typical of Persian painting. The roughly painted melons at the foot of Babur’s throne may have been added by another artist, perhaps as a reference to the emperor’s favorite fruit.

Taking a Spill

Gift exchange was essential for forming political bonds. During a boating party in 1519, Babur and his companions struck a rock and were pitched overboard. Babur bemoans how a favorite porcelain cup disappeared into the water. He relates the incident to a guest, a respected warrior and ambassador, who then presents the emperor with a replacement. Babur’s lost cup was probably a fine example of Chinese blue and white porcelain ware, which was much sought-out in India and elsewhere in the region.

In Their Cups

Rare materials point to the varied territories and trade networks of Babur’s world. Quarried in Central Asia, the deep green jade of a squat, dragon-handled jug was popular across the Timurid lands. A bowl-shaped wine cup made of agate is inscribed with a poem for Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqara, comparing the splashes of his wine to whorls of semiprecious stone. He holds a similar cup in a painting of his harem.