<P> During the reign of Humayun's son Akbar (r . 1556 - 1605), the imperial court, apart from being the centre of administrative authority to manage and rule the vast Mughal empire, also emerged as a centre of cultural excellence . Akbar inherited and expanded his father's library and atelier of court painters, and paid close personal attention to its output . He had studied painting in his youth under Abd as - Samad, though it is not clear how far these studies went . </P> <P> Between 1560 and 1566 the Tutinama ("Tales of a Parrot"), now in the Cleveland Museum of Art was illustrated, showing "the stylistic components of the imperial Mughal style at a formative stage". Among other manuscripts, between 1562 and 1577 the atelier worked on an illustrated manuscript of the Hamzanama consisting of 1,400 canvas folios . Sa'di's masterpiece The Gulistan was produced at Fatehpur Sikri in 1582, a Darab Nama around 1585; the Khamsa of Nizami (British Library, Or . 12208) followed in the 1590s and Jami's Baharistan around 1595 in Lahore . As Mughal - derived painting spread to Hindu courts the texts illustrated included the Hindu epics including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata; themes with animal fables; individual portraits; and paintings on scores of different themes . Mughal style during this period continued to refine itself with elements of realism and naturalism coming to the fore . Between the years of 1570 to 1585 Akbar hired over a one hundred painters to practice Mughal style painting . </P> <P> Jahangir had an artistic inclination and during his reign Mughal painting developed further . Brushwork became finer and the colors lighter . Jahangir was also deeply influenced by European painting . During his reign he came into direct contact with the English Crown and was sent gifts of oil paintings, which included portraits of the King and Queen . He encouraged his royal atelier to take up the single point perspective favoured by European artists, unlike the flattened multi-layered style used in traditional miniatures . He particularly encouraged paintings depicting events of his own life, individual portraits, and studies of birds, flowers and animals . The Jahangirnama, written during his lifetime, which is an autobiographical account of Jahangir's reign, has several paintings, including some unusual subjects such as the union of a saint with a tigress, and fights between spiders . </P> <P> During the reign of Shah Jahan (1628--58), Mughal paintings continued to develop, but court paintings became more rigid and formal . The illustrations from the "Padshanama" (chronicle of the King of the world), one of the finest Islamic manuscripts from the Royal Collection, at Windsor, were painted during the reign of Shah Jahan . Written in Persian on paper that is flecked with gold, has exquisitely rendered paintings . The "Padshahnama" has portraits of the courtiers and servants of the King painted with great detail and individuality . In keeping with the strict formality at court, however the portraits of the King and important nobles was rendered in strict profile, whereas servants and common people, depicted with individual features have been portrayed in the three - quarter view or the frontal view . Themes including musical parties; lovers, sometimes in intimate positions, on terraces and gardens; and ascetics gathered around a fire, abound in the Mughal paintings of this period . </P>

Who introduced the element of perspective in mughal painting