Battle of Sarnal in Gujarat
Painting
ca. 1590-95 (made)
ca. 1590-95 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is the right-hand side of a double-page composition from the Akbarnama , the official history of the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605). In 1572, Akbar led his army in a campaign to conquer the sultanate of Gujarat. He is depicted at the centre of the composition on an armoured horse, with his troops ranged behind him in an arid landscape with low hills and cactus bushes. The other half of the painting is IS.2:107-1896. 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, Babu Naqqash, 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 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.
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.
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 Babu Naqqash, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590-95 |
| Physical description | Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, the right 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. Mughal forces led by Akbar, riding an armour-clad horse and shown in the centre of the picture, ride across a desert landscape with cactuses sprouting between low hillocks. Akbar's horsemen are lined up from top to bottom of the page at right, and fend off a single horseman at left. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | The battle of Sarnal in Gujarat in 1572. Mughal forces led by Akbar, riding an armour-clad horse and shown in the centre of the picture, ride across a desert landscape with cacti sprouting between low hillocks. Akbar's horsemen are lined up from top to bottom of the page at right, and fend off a single horseman at left. |
| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Tarh La'l
amal Babu Naqqash (This is a contemporary attribution in Persian, written in red ink in the margin below the painting.)
|
| Credit line | Purchased from Mrs. Clarke, The Dingle, Sydenham Hill, S. E |
| Object history | The Akbarnama, or "Book of Akbar", was commissioned by the emperor Akbar as the official chronicle of his reign. It was written by 1590 and 1596 and is thought to have been illustrated between ca. 1592 and 1594 by at least forty-nine 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, an official who had been the Commissioner in Oudh province 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 volume of the Akbarnama. The inscriptions in red ink on the bottom of the paintings refer to the artists and indicate that this was a royal copy. Purchased from Mrs. Clarke, The Dingle, Sydenham Hill, S. 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. Registered Papers: 85488/95 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Literary reference | Akbarnama |
| Summary | This is the right-hand side of a double-page composition from the Akbarnama , the official history of the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605). In 1572, Akbar led his army in a campaign to conquer the sultanate of Gujarat. He is depicted at the centre of the composition on an armoured horse, with his troops ranged behind him in an arid landscape with low hills and cactus bushes. The other half of the painting is IS.2:107-1896. 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, Babu Naqqash, 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 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. |
| 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. 227. |
| Other number | 179 - inscription/original number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.2:106-1896 |
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| Record created | November 2, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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