Painting
ca. 1590-95 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This page of the Akbarnama depicts a battle scene in which bullocks are dragging cannons uphill during the siege of Ranthambhor Fort, Rajasthan. Akbar set out from Agra in December, 1568, pausing on the way to visit sacred places in Delhi and the tomb of his father, Humayun. The campaign began in February 1569 and was won by the end of March when the ruler, Surjan Hara, submitted. See IS.2:74 and IS.2:76 for other paintings of this battle.
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 | |
Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper |
Brief description | Painting, Akbarnama, bullocks dragging siege-guns up hill, outline by Miskina, painting by Paras, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590-95 |
Physical description | Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, depicts bullocks dragging cannons uphill during the siege of Ranthambhor. The bullocks are being driven up a steep incline running diagonally from bottom left to the middle of the page at right. Cannons are firing from the cliff at top left, directed by the Mughal general at top right. |
Dimensions |
|
Content description | Bullocks dragging cannons uphill during the siege of Ranthambhor. The bullocks are being driven up a steep incline running diagonally from bottom left to the middle of the page at right. Cannons are firing from the cliff at top left, directed by the Mughal general at top right. |
Styles | |
Marks and inscriptions | 'tarh Miskina/amal Paras' (The contemporary attribution in Persian at the bottom of the page, beneath the picture, is written in red ink)
|
Gallery label | BULLOCKS DRAGGING SIEGE GUNS UP A HILL
Illustration to the Akbarnama
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Mughal, composition by Miskina, painted by Paras
c. 1590-95
IS.2:72-1896
After hunting at Palam, Akbar set out to capture the Rajput stronghold of Ranthambore. It was seen as impregnable, but was of immense strategic importance to the expanding Mughal empire. The emperor himself led the army to besiege the fortress in February 1569. When the heavy Mughal cannon breached the walls at the end of March, Rai Surjan Hara, the ruler, surrendered.
RAI SURJAN(27/9/2013) |
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 |
Production | Composition by Miskina, colours and details painted by Paras. Attribution place is likely to be Lahore. |
Subjects depicted | |
Place depicted | |
Association | |
Literary reference | Akbarnama |
Summary | This page of the Akbarnama depicts a battle scene in which bullocks are dragging cannons uphill during the siege of Ranthambhor Fort, Rajasthan. Akbar set out from Agra in December, 1568, pausing on the way to visit sacred places in Delhi and the tomb of his father, Humayun. The campaign began in February 1569 and was won by the end of March when the ruler, Surjan Hara, submitted. See IS.2:74 and IS.2:76 for other paintings of this battle. 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 references |
|
Other number | 158 - inscription/original number |
Collection | |
Accession number | IS.2:72-1896 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | November 11, 1998 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest