Anant

( fl 1584-1611). Indian miniature painter. Trained in the studio of the Mughal emperor Akbar (reg 1556-1605), he blossomed under Akbar's successor Jahangir (reg 1605-27). Anant is known through two sole compositions in the Timurnama ('History of Timur'; 1584; Bankipur, Patna, Khuda Bakhsh Lib., fols 182r and 206v, and, as colourist, fol. 115v)) and as a colourist in the first Akbarnama ('History of Akbar'; c. 1590; London, V&A, I.S.2. 1896.117) but eventually specialized in allegorical illustrations. The `Iyar-i danish ('Book of fables'; c. 1590-95; Dublin, Chester Beatty Lib.) and Anvar-i Suhayli ('Lights of Canopus'; 1596-7; Varanasi, Banaras Hindu U., Bharat Kala Bhavan) were the prelude to his best work in the Anvar-i Suhayli completed for Jahangir in 1610-11 (London, BL, Or. Add. 18579, fols 6r, 130v, 169r, 197r and 267r). Although he was capable of fine natural history studies, in this manuscript he concentrated on the symbolic function of animals to communicate the moral of the tale. The simple, open compositions reflect the studio style of the early 17th century.

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