Battle of Sarnal in Gujarat
- Object:
- Place of origin:
India (possibly, made)
Pakistan (possibly, made)
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
La'l (outline, artist)
Sanwala (colours and details, artist)
- Materials and Techniques:
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
- Download image
This is the left side of a double composition (the other half is IS.2:106-1896) depicting Akbar directing Mughal forces in the battle of Sarnal, Gujarat, in 1572. Enemy horsemen advance from their fortress on the Mughal army across a desert landscape dotted with
cactuses.
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 from Akbar's studio. 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). The Victoria and Albert Museum purchased it 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.
Physical description
Left side of double -page composition, with IS.2:106-1896, depicting Akbar at the battle of Sarnal in Gujarat in 1572. This page shows enemy horsemen in a desert landscape against the background of a fortified building.
Place of Origin
India (possibly, made)
Pakistan (possibly, made)
Date
1590-1595 (painted)
Artist/maker
La'l (outline, artist)
Sanwala (colours and details, artist)
Materials and Techniques
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Marks and inscriptions
Tarh La'l
amal Sanwala Composition by La'l
Work [=painting] by Sanwala
Dimensions
Height: 30.6 cm painting, Width: 19.7 cm painting
Object history note
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.
Descriptive line
Battle of Sarnal in Gujarat. Painting from the Akbarnama, ca. 1590-1595.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Susan Stronge, Painting for the Mughal Emperor. The Art of the Book, 1560-1650, V&A Publications, 2002, pl. 36, p. 54.
Associated names
Fazl, Abu'l
Production Note
Outline picture composed by La'l, colours and details painted by Sanwala.
Attribution place is likely to be Delhi, Agra or Fatehpur Sikri.
Materials
Paper; Gold; Opaque watercolour
Techniques
Painting; Contour drawing
Subjects depicted
Fort
Collection code
SSEA
