A feast for Babur hosted by his half-brother Jahangir Mirza in Ghazni in May 1505, from a Babur-nama (Memoirs of Babur)
1904
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1904
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a long, low table piled with food and wine, surrounded by men in rich robes and turbans. Servants move between guests, and a bright red tent glows against a dark night sky. This painting shows a real party from 1505, before the Mughal Empire even ruled India. The host is Babur’s half-brother, and the feast is a political move—food and gifts to build trust. The tiny details, like the gold-threaded fabric and the way light hits the wine cups, make it feel alive. Look up more paintings of mughal feasts to see how art and power mixed.
