Drawing, Akbar hawking on elephant, ink and paint on paper, Mughal, ca. 1600; the borders Lucknow, late 18th century

Drawing, in ink with details in paint, on paper, the Mughal emperor Akbar (1556-1605) hunting from an elephant; he holds a hawk on his outstretched right hand and looks up and back. On the elephant are also a mahout and a chowrie-holder. On foot, around the elephant are the hunting retinue, carrying guns, bows and arrows, and one holds a hound on a leash. In the background is a rocky landscape, in the top right hand corner a white building. The border is decorated with images of lions, tigers, deer, other animals and birds, interspersed with leafy trees and shrubs, all in gold on an indigo ground.

The Mughal emperor Akbar (1556-1605) hunting from an elephant; he holds a hawk on his outstretched right hand and looks up and back. On the elephant are also a mahout and a chowrie-holder. On foot, around the elephant are the hunting retinue, carrying guns, bows and arrows, and one holds a hound on a leash. In the background is a rocky landscape, in the top right hand corner a white building. The border is decorated with images of lions, tigers, deer, other animals and birds, interspersed with leafy trees and shrubs.

Given by Sir Robert Nathan, K.C.S.I., C.I.E

From the collection of Sir Robert Nathan (1868-1921), purchased from Maulvi Muhammad Hussain, Judge, Small Claims Court, Delhi. Sir Robert Nathan was Private Secretary to the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, in 1905; became Chief Secretary to the Government of East Bengal and Assam in 1907, and was Police Commissioner of Dhaka before leaving India in 1914.

Given by Sir Robert Nathan, K.C.S.I., C.I.E. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project.

R.P. 1921-4451

At the end of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th, court artists in the Mughal empire sometimes produced paintings using pale, predominantly monochrome washes highlighted with gold and touches of body colour. The style was known as 'nim qalam', literally 'half pen in Persian, the language of the court and of the elite across the empire'. The minimalist style was used here to depict the emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) following the kingly sport of hawking, and the anonymous artist has confined the use of gold to those parts of the composition closest to the ruler, emphasizing his royal status.

IM.249-1921