Bengal has a very ancient history in painting. There is no disagreement among historians that art was practiced here around the time of Gautama Buddha.However, when it comes to ancient Bengali painting, the rich paintings of the Pala period come to mind first. The void that gradually formed after the decline and fall of the Pala rule became more and more concentrated during the Sena period. Turkish rule began in Bengal from the beginning of the thirteenth century. This political change greatly affected the style of art practice.
Towards the fourteenth century, the Delhi regime became quite weak. Then, seizing the opportunity, regional rulers started rebelling. Bengal was gradually in the forefront of the rebellion. Since there was already a distinct cultural tradition; Bengal was also far from Delhi. As a result, Bengal tried to maintain its own identity and express itself as an independent entity throughout the Sultanate period. That signature of independence is also reflected in painting. Basically, the painting of Sultanate Bengal had a tendency of interaction. The Pala period was the golden age of miniature painting in ancient Bengal.
The tradition of Buddhist book painting began as a new genre of miniature during the reign of the Sultans. At the same time, the rulers and the elites came into contact with the genre of Persian painting. The Chinese traveler Mahuan wrote about professional artists in the cities of Bengal. It is not unusual for artists from Central Asia to be among them. The best example of painting practice in Sultanate Bengal is the miniature of the ‘Sharafnama’ manuscript. The manuscript was created during the reign of Husain Shahi Sultan Nasiruddin Nusrat Shah (1519-32 AD), and is currently preserved in the British Library.
Interest in books has been present in the Muslim world since the beginning. The custom of giving large amounts of gifts for calligraphy of verses of the Quran began then. At that time, Arabic script gradually acquired a decorative character. In harmony with calligraphy, Arabian vine and flower designs were added. Day by day, historical stories also found pictorial form. The brightly colored pictures increased the glory and value of the manuscripts many times over. These valuable books, written and decorated by skilled scribes and skilled artists, were patronized by the rich and tasteful elite. On the one hand, Persia has been elevated in art since ancient times. On the other hand, after the Byzantine occupation, its painting also attracted Muslim painters. When the Turkmens of Central Asia converted to Islam, the tradition of Chinese painting was added. Thus, the Muslim miniature tradition was developed through the connection of at least three art styles. It was the Persian style that reached Bengal.
During the reign of Nusrat Shah, artists from faraway Persia were invited to the court of the Sultan of Gaur. Shortly after, the Safavid emperor Shah Tahmasp abandoned his patronage of painting. He considered the excesses in art to be a sign of sensual weakness. Many artists were forced to disperse from the Safavid court. At least four artists of the Safavid style, Mir Musabbir, Mir Syed Ali, Dost Muhammad and Abdus Samad, came to the court of the Mughal emperor Humayun. Therefore, it is quite surprising that long before Delhi developed in Mughal painting, Persian artists were patronized in Bengal and developed with their own unique signature. Sultan Sikandar, son of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, was the patron of culture. There is evidence that many Persian poets and painters came to Bengal during the reign of Sultan Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah. The tradition of patronage became stronger during the Hossain Shahi period.
‘Sharafnama’ is a part of the Iskandernama written by Nizami. It was copied by Hamid Khan around 1531-32 for Sultan Nusrat Shah. Iskander, or Alexander, is an influential figure in Persian literature and culture. At the same time, he was seen as a philosopher, ideal ruler and world conqueror. The great poets Ferdowsi, Nizami, Amir Khusru and Jami wrote about him. Meanwhile, Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, the first Sultan of undivided Bengal, claimed himself as the second Iskander. The Iskandernama is also quite popular in medieval literature. Naturally, Bengali had a clear idea about Iskander. It is therefore not unusual for Sultan Nusrat Shah to order the creation of miniatures of the first half of the Sikandernama, or the Sharafnama, by Sultan.
The 72-page manuscript of the Sharafnama contains nine paintings. Unfortunately, none of the paintings have the name of the artist. As a result, it is not known who painted the paintings. Although the paintings are painted in the Persian style, local Bengali influences can be seen. The simplicity of the design, especially the use of leaf-cut arches, umbrellas and various colored tile decorations in the architecture, and the traditional representation of trees, seem to have influenced the artist’s artistic vision of the Bengali environment at that time. The manuscript is decorated with gold on one side, and bright colors have been used on the other. Each of the paintings is located between the lines. The hero of the painting is Iskander. Sometimes he is seen on the battlefield, sometimes ascending the throne.
In some cases, the Sharafnama shows the characteristics of Iranian miniatures. The page structure is vertical, with four columns of text and paintings within the text. Some of the features are similar to the paintings of the Siraj school of the 14th century. However, the style of drawing clouds and sky is unique. The characteristic of drawing the human or animal figures at the bottom in miniature is also very unique. The buildings painted in the manuscript show the imprint of the architecture of the Bengali period. The work on the back wall of Iskandar in Sharafnama is very similar to the architecture of the Bagha Mosque in Bangladesh. On the one hand, just as the Iranian style has been adopted, the Hindustani style has also developed. Overall, Sharafnama does not seem to be an experimental book; rather, it seems to be a creative and mature creation. As a result, it is very natural that such a trend of painting existed before. It can be naturally assumed that the practice of such painting had been going on since the early days of the Sultanate. Even when compared with the contemporary ‘Nimatnama’ painted in Malab, the paintings of ‘Sharafnama’ are seen to be superior. The existence of Sharafnama proves that even before that, Bengal had its own genre of painting for more than a hundred years.
Sharafnama is at the same time a document of synthesis between local and international characteristics. Long before the establishment of Mughal rule in Bengal, a journey of cultural interaction had taken place here. Much later, the patronage through which Akbar gained recognition in Delhi, was done in Bengal by Nusrat Shah.