Ashmolean Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

A leitmotif of the Persianate manuscript production, scenes of enthronement became equally popular in Mughal India, reflecting the impact that the former had in the subcontinent.

In this scene, an enthroned prince surrounded by his entourage listens to the case presented by a visitor. Meanwhile, other pledgers line up outside the palace waiting to receive audience. The merging of different actions and spaces in one scene is a frequent narrative device adopted in Indo-Persian painting and an ingenious way to create a sense of the passing of time.