The Creative Spirit of the Mughal Era Daswanth was a Mughal-era painter serving under the emperor Akbar. Born the son of a palanquin-bearer, he was a Hindu who demonstrated a natural talent for painting and drawing on walls. This talent led him to be taught by the Persian master painter Khwāja 'Abd al-Samad. While 'Abd al-Samad's work was traditional and conservative, Daswanth's own works were noted for being imaginative and original. He was recognized in the Ain-i-Akbari as one of the three most important artists of his period, and the Akbarnama also credited him with great artistic talent.…