Painters too were involved in the production of Mughal manuscripts. Chronicles narrating the events of a Mughal emperor's reign contained, alongside the written text images that described an event in visual form. When scenes or themes in a book were to be given visual expression, the scribe left blank spaces on nearby pages; paintings, executed separately on nearby pages; paintings, executed separately by artists, were inserted to accompany what was described in words. These paintings were miniatures, and could therefore be passed around for viewing and mounting on the pages of manuscripts.

Paintings served not only to enhance the beauty of a book but were believed to possess special powers of communicating ideas about the kingdom and the power of kings in ways that the written medium could not. The historian Abu'l Fazl described the painting as a "magical art": in his view, it had the power to make inanimate objects look as if they possessed life.

Painting possesses special powers of _____ ideas.

Communicating

Paintings served not only to enhance the beauty of a book but were believed to possess special powers of communicating ideas about the kingdom and the power of kings in ways that the written medium could not.