Mughal Rulers in India were the epitomes of medival splendor. Legends about their wealth like the gem encrusted peacock throne, their awa inspiring architecture, the brilliance of their paintings, their ravishing jewellery and brocades - all these have created the famous 'Grand Mughal' image of world history.

The great Mughals, however were not just powerful sovereigns but were very discerning and enthusiastic patrons of art. Their valor was matched by their highly developed sense of aesthetics and a rare sensitivity to beauty and grace.

Individual mughal rulers down the line did vary in their liking to specific art forms, yet, sensitivity to the harmonious delicate blances was perhaps common to them all. Besides, they were very creative, in as much as, that every one of them promoted the experiments of newer art forms.

One such creation in Parchin-kari .This is the confluence of the original Italian Art Form called Pietra Dura . With the typically Indian motifs of 15th and 16th century India.

Pietra Dura was Italian art and Florence had become the main center of this art. It developed from the Roman mosaic where larger pieces of marble or other stones were inlaid into marble. Pietra Dura was an extreme refinement of the idea. Pearls, mother of pearl and semiprecious stones like crystal, topaz, turquoise, carnelian, jades, coral, amethyst, blood-stone, carbuncle, sapphire, jasper, lapis-lazuli, garnets, agates and chalcedony were inlaid into marble as ornamentation. The Florentine factories produced adornments for furniture or other household objects d'art. Some of these reached the Mughal court.

The Mughal were fascinated with this novelty and encouraged those skilled in the craft to work for them and train their craftsmen working for the imperial court. The speed with which the craftsmen mastered this craft and the confidence with which they re-adapted it to suit their aesthetic schemes is a testimony to their inherent artistry. A craft used to decorate furniture was now used to decorate marble palaces and tombs.

Through Pietra Dura influences of Italian Renaissance art appeared in architectural ornamentation of the Mughals. It was easily adopted into the constantly evolving decorative style. The Mughals used the characteristic expression of Islamic ornamentation, the geometric pattern, with great effect. They integrated it with the naturalistic arabesques, redolent interlaced vines bearing a variety of flowers and leaves. Naturalistic European paintings of flora and fauna that were much appreciated by the Mughals also provided inspiration. The repetitive flowering pattern became a common feature of Mughal art, in paintings, textiles and architectural decoration.

Pietra Dura was the ideal technique for decorating marble, the material favored by Shah Jahan. It was subtle and yet dazzling. Thin slivers of the stone of the right color and shade were cut into the right shape and set into marble. Often many different ones were used to create a single petal. The craftsmen with fine metal tools paid as much attention to light and shade as did painters with their brushes and paint. The craft became a firm part of the Indian artistic repertoire.

Like all the arts and crafts patronized by the Mughal, Pietra Dura continued to survive in the successor kingdoms. The Rajputs states particularly kept the Mughal decorative traditions alive. They, however added their own visual images, pictorial representation of Krishna and his life were now included in the decoration of Rajput palaces. The British Colonial rules also commissioned the Pietra Dura in India for furniture that they took home, to Europe. The craft survives till today.