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

Painting

ca. 1590-95 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is the right side of a double composition by La'l from the Akbarnama, or Book of Akbar, depicting a water tank being dug near Narwar on the emperor's orders. The left side, IS.2:44-1896, illustrates wild elephants entering the waters of the tank. Hari was the artist who completed the coloured details on this side of the composition.
The Akbarnama (Book of Akbar) was commissioned by the emperor Akbar as the official chronicle of his reign. It was written by Abu'l Fazl between 1590 and 1595 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 that of Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). The Museum purchased it in 1896 from Frances Clarke, the widow of Major General John Clarke, an official who had been the Commissioner of Oudh, India, between 1858 and 1862.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Brief description
Painting, Akbarnama, water tank near Narwar, outline by Lal'l, painting by Hari, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590-95
Physical description
Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, right side of a double picture, left side being IS.2:44-1896. Depicts a water tank dug near Narwar by the order of Akbar.
Dimensions
  • Height: 33cm
  • Average width: 19.8cm
Content description
A water tank dug near Narwar by the order of Akbar.
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
'Tarh La'l/Amal Hari' (Contemporary librarian's attribution in Persian written beneath the image at the bottom of the page in red ink.)
Translation
'composition by La'l/work [=painting by] Hari'
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 Abu'l Fazl between 1590 and 1595 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 Museum purchased it in 1896 from Francis Clarke, the widow of Major General 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 inscriptions in red ink on the bottom of the paintings name the artists.
Production
Outline composed by La'l, colours and details painted by Hari.
Subject depicted
Association
Literary referenceAkbarnama
Summary
This is the right side of a double composition by La'l from the Akbarnama, or Book of Akbar, depicting a water tank being dug near Narwar on the emperor's orders. The left side, IS.2:44-1896, illustrates wild elephants entering the waters of the tank. Hari was the artist who completed the coloured details on this side of the composition.
The Akbarnama (Book of Akbar) was commissioned by the emperor Akbar as the official chronicle of his reign. It was written by Abu'l Fazl between 1590 and 1595 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 that of Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). The Museum purchased it in 1896 from Frances Clarke, the widow of Major General John Clarke, an official who had been the Commissioner of Oudh, India, between 1858 and 1862.
Associated object
Other number
124 - inscription/original number
Collection
Accession number
IS.2:43-1896

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Record createdNovember 16, 1998
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