Painting thumbnail 1
Painting thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

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.


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
  • Page height: 37.5cm
  • Page width: 25cm
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)
Translation
'Composition by Miskina/Painted by Paras'
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 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 c. 1590 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, who bought it in India while serving as Commissioner of Oudh 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. The inscriptions in red ink on the bottom of the paintings refer to the artists and indicate that this was a royal copy.
Production
Composition by Miskina, colours and details painted by Paras.
Attribution place is likely to be Lahore.
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Association
Literary referenceAkbarnama
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
  • Geeti Sen, Paintings from the Akbar Nama, 1984, p. 120, pl. 52, detail pl. 53, p. 122.
  • The Indian Heritage. Court life and Arts under Mughal Rule London: The Victoria and Albert Museum, 1982 Number: ISBN 0 906969 26 3 Andrew Topsfield; cat. no. 27. p. 33
  • The art of India and Pakistan, a commemorative catalogue of the exhibition held at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1947-8. Edited by Sir Leigh Ashton. London: Faber and Faber, [1950] p. 151, cat. no. 670a
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

Record createdNovember 11, 1998
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest