ABSTRACT
A striking fact with Moghul manuscripts is that Moghul illustrations are often the result of collective work. Once the sheets of paper have been starched and cut to the desired size, the calligrapher or the supervisor decides on the mastar or ruling. This ruling will determine the whole work, that is to say the spacing of the lines and the columns, and on this basis, the variations in layout, the position of the illustrations and illuminations and even the form of the binding. The jadval are the coloured lines which frame the pages of manuscripts. The large variety of combinations of thicknesses and colour of the lines makes it possible to carry out a typological study. Once the ruling and the jadval have been completed, the sheets are entrusted to the calligrapher who, following the general plan of the work, starts to copy the text.
