Akbar and Azim Khan at Dipalpur
Painting
ca. 1590-95 (made)
ca. 1590-95 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is the right-hand side of a double-paged image from the Akbarnama depicting the Mughal emperor Akbar being entertained by his foster brother Azim Khan at Dipalpur in the Panjab in 1571. The left-hand side of the image is IS.2:95-1896.
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 | Akbar and Azim Khan at Dipalpur (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, Akbarnama, Akbar entertained by Azim Khan at Dipalpur, outline by Jagan, painting by Sur Das, portraits Madhav, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590-95 |
| Physical description | Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, right side of double picture. Akbar being entertained by his foster brother, Azim Khan, at Dipalpur, Punjab, in 1571. Akbar is shown seated on a throne inside a tent. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | Akbar being entertained by his foster brother, Azim Khan. Akbar is shown seated on a throne inside a tent. |
| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | (Contemporary attribution in Persian written in red ink in the lower margin)
|
| Credit line | Purchased from Mrs. Clarke, The Dingle, Sydenham Hill, S. E |
| Object history | The Akbarnama was commissioned by the emperor Akbar as an official chronicle of his reign in 1589 and was written in Persian by Abu'l Fazl who completed it in 1596. 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 from 1858 to 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 | Composition by Jagan, painting by Sur Das. Faces by Madhav. Attribution place is likely to be Delhi, Agra or Fatehpur Sikri. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Literary reference | Akbarnama |
| Summary | This is the right-hand side of a double-paged image from the Akbarnama depicting the Mughal emperor Akbar being entertained by his foster brother Azim Khan at Dipalpur in the Panjab in 1571. The left-hand side of the image is IS.2:95-1896. 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. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic reference | India's fabled city : the art of courtly Lucknow / Stephen Markel with Tushara Bindu Gude ; and contributions by Muzaffar Alam ... [et al.]. Munich ;London: Prestel, Johann Gottlieb, c2010 Number: 9783791350752 (hbk.), 3791350757 (hbk.)
cat. no. 9, p. 75. |
| Other number | 171 - inscription/original number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.2:94-1896 |
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| Record created | November 5, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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