Battle of Sarnal in Gujarat
Painting
ca. 1590-95 (made)
ca. 1590-95 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is the left side of a double-page composition from the Akbarnama , the official history of the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605). The right side is IS.2:106-1896. In 1572, Akbar led his army in a campaign to conquer the sultanate of Gujarat. Enemy horsemen advance from their fortress towards Akbar's forces across a desert landscape dotted with cactus bushes. Persian inscriptions beneath the painting identify the artist who did the composition (tarh) over two pages as the leading court artist La'l, with a junior artist, Sanwala, completing the painting (amal, or 'work').
The Akbarnama was commissioned by the emperor Akbar as the official chronicle of his reign. It was written by his court historian and biographer Abu'l Fazl between 1590 and 1596 and is thought to have been illustrated between about 1592 and 1594 by at least 49 different artists working in the royal Ketabkhana, or 'House of Books', where manuscripts were stored and created. After Akbar's death in 1605, the manuscript remained in the library of his son, Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) and later Shah Jahan (r.1628-1658), as demonstrated by royal seals on one of the folios. The Museum purchased it as a partial manuscript in 1896 from Mrs Frances Clarke, the widow of Major-General John Clarke, who bought it in India while serving as Commissioner of Oudh between 1858 and 1862.
The Akbarnama was commissioned by the emperor Akbar as the official chronicle of his reign. It was written by his court historian and biographer Abu'l Fazl between 1590 and 1596 and is thought to have been illustrated between about 1592 and 1594 by at least 49 different artists working in the royal Ketabkhana, or 'House of Books', where manuscripts were stored and created. After Akbar's death in 1605, the manuscript remained in the library of his son, Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) and later Shah Jahan (r.1628-1658), as demonstrated by royal seals on one of the folios. The Museum purchased it as a partial manuscript in 1896 from Mrs Frances Clarke, the widow of Major-General John Clarke, who bought it in India while serving as Commissioner of Oudh between 1858 and 1862.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Battle of Sarnal in Gujarat (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, Akbarnama, Akbar at Battle of Samal, outline by La'l, painting Sanwala, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590-95. Left side of a double composition (IS.2:106-1896 is the right side). |
| Physical description | Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, the left side of a double picture of which the left side is IS.2:107-1896. It depicts the battle of Sarnal in Gujarat in 1572. Enemy horsemen advance from their fortress on the Mughal army across a desert landscape dotted with cactuses. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | The battle of Sarnal, Gujarat, in 1572. Enemy horsemen advance from their fortress on the Mughal army across a desert landscape dotted with cactuses. |
| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Tarh La'l/amal Sanwala' (Contemporary attributions in Persian written in red ink under the picture, in the border)
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| Credit line | Purchased from Mrs. Clarke, The Dingle, Sydenham Hill, S. E |
| Object history | The Akbarnama was commissioned by the emperor Akbar as the official chronicle of his reign in 1589 and written in Persian by Abu'l Fazl who completed it in 1596. The illustrations were being painted as he wrote and revised his work. After Akbar's death, the manuscript remained in the library of his son, Jahangir. The Victoria and Albert Museum purchased it in 1896 from Mrs Frances Clarke, the widow of Major-General John Clarke, who bought it while serving as Commissioner of Oudh, India between 1858 and 1862. Historical significance: It is thought to be the first illustrated copy of the Akbarnama. It drew upon the expertise of some of the best royal painters of the time, many of whom receive special mention by Abu'l Fazl in the A'in-i-Akbari, the third book of the Akbarnama. |
| Production | |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Association | |
| Literary reference | Akbarnama |
| Summary | This is the left side of a double-page composition from the Akbarnama , the official history of the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605). The right side is IS.2:106-1896. In 1572, Akbar led his army in a campaign to conquer the sultanate of Gujarat. Enemy horsemen advance from their fortress towards Akbar's forces across a desert landscape dotted with cactus bushes. Persian inscriptions beneath the painting identify the artist who did the composition (tarh) over two pages as the leading court artist La'l, with a junior artist, Sanwala, completing the painting (amal, or 'work'). The Akbarnama was commissioned by the emperor Akbar as the official chronicle of his reign. It was written by his court historian and biographer Abu'l Fazl between 1590 and 1596 and is thought to have been illustrated between about 1592 and 1594 by at least 49 different artists working in the royal Ketabkhana, or 'House of Books', where manuscripts were stored and created. After Akbar's death in 1605, the manuscript remained in the library of his son, Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) and later Shah Jahan (r.1628-1658), as demonstrated by royal seals on one of the folios. The Museum purchased it as a partial manuscript in 1896 from Mrs Frances Clarke, the widow of Major-General John Clarke, who bought it in India while serving as Commissioner of Oudh between 1858 and 1862. |
| Bibliographic reference | Susan Stronge, Painting for the Mughal Emperor. The Art of the Book, 1560-1650, V&A Publications, 2002, pl. 36, p. 54.,
Shakeel Hossain and Deeti Ray, Celebrating Abdur Rahim Khan-i-khanan, Interglobe Foundation/Aga Khan Trust for Culture in association with Mapin Publishing, Ahmedabad, 2017, illustrated p. 226. |
| Other number | 180 - inscription/original number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.2:107-1896 |
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| Record created | October 28, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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