Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Hamzanama project began in the year 1562 and contained 1,400 miniatures. Emperor Akbar commissioned this manuscript to illustrate the legendary tales of Hamza, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad. The work utilized unusually large cotton folios measuring 69 centimeters by 54 centimeters.
Mughal painting introduced realistic portraiture and believable space where characters painted in the round could perform. While Persian miniatures rarely depicted individuals with specific features, Mughal artists captured the likeness of the emperor and his courtiers with striking accuracy. The style also borrowed from Chinese animal paintings on paper to create scientific records of the empire's biodiversity.
Humayun brought two accomplished Persian artists named Abd al-Samad and Mir Sayyid Ali to his court. These masters, along with Dust Muhammad, a disciple of Kamal ud-Din Behzad, formed the core of the imperial atelier during the formative stages of Mughal painting. The style developed within the royal workshop through a system of joint manuscript production.
The decline of Mughal painting began around 1668 when Aurangzeb took a turn away from the pomp and ceremonial of the court. After 1681, he moved to the Deccan to pursue his conquest of the Deccan Sultanates and never returned to live in the north. A brief revival occurred during the reign of Muhammad Shah, but by the time of Shah Alam II, the art of Mughal painting had lost its glory.
Important painters under Akbar and Jahangir included Farrukh Beg, Daswanth, Basawan, Daulat, Govardhan, and Ustad Mansur. Women artists were also a part of the Mughal atelier, contributing to commissions like the Gulshan Album, which included the work of at least three women artists. Akbar liked to see the names of the artists written below each miniature.