Painting, illustration to the Baburnama, three horsemen near Bagram, watercolour on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590

Painting, in watercolour on paper, illustration to the Waqiat-i-Barbari (memoirs of Babur). Depicting three horsemen on a mountain road near Begram in 1525; Babur and his sons hunting a rhinoceros.

Three horsemen on a mountain road near Begram in 1525; Babur and his sons hunting a rhinoceros.

Purchased from Messrs luzac & Co., 46 Great Russell Street

S.A.A Rizvi, in Religious and Intellectual History of the Muslims in Akbar's Reign (Delhi, 1975, 220-221), notes:
The Babur Nama, in Chaghta'i Turkish, a mine of information relating to Central Asia, Kabul and India, was of an absorbing interest for the Indian Timurids. The portions relating to the Indian period of Babur's autobiography had already been translated by his sadr, Zainu'd Din Khwafi, into Persian. In 994/1584 Mirza Payandah Hasan Ghaznavi commenced its translation at the insistence of Bihruz Khan (who was afterwards given the title of Naurang Khan by Akbar and died as a governor of Junahgarh in 1002/1593-94), but he could not translate the account beyond the first sixth and a part of the seventh year. Subsequently one Muhammad Quli Mughal HIsari continued the work and brought it down to 935/1528-29. Akbar ordered Mirza 'Abdu'r Rahim Khan-i Khanan to translate it again and he completed the work in 998/1589. He presented his translation to the Emperor as he was returning from Kabul on 24 November 1589. The Khan-i Khanan excelled all the previous translators.

This illustration was removed from a manuscript of the Baburnama, the Persian translation of the memoirs of the founder of the Mughal empire, Babur. His original memoirs were written in the early 16th century in his primary language, Turki, and the translation was commissioned by his grandson, the Mughal emperor Akbar, so that the contents could be widely read in his empire. At least seven illustrated copies of the Baburnama have survived, datable to between 1589 and the end of Akbar's life in 1605. This page depictsthree horsemen on a mountain road and is part of an incident which took place in 1525. Babur and a group of men including his son, Humayun, who succeeded him as emperor were encamped near Bagram and were told that a rhinoceros had been seen nearby. As Humayun had never seen one before, they rushed to find it and this illustration shows part of the royal entourage in pursuit of the animal which is not depicted. The painting was probably done in about 1590.

IM.264-1913