Painting, Baburnama illustration, Babur receiving Uzbek and Rajput envoys in garden at Agra, by Ram Das, opaque watercolour on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590

Painting, opaque watercolour on paper, Baburnama illustration, by Ram Das, Babur receiving Uzbek and Rajput envoys in a garden at Agra. Babur, seated beneath a scarlet rectangular canopy, sits on a low takht receiving envoys in a garden full of flowers and blossoming trees. Behind him, at the top of the composition, are the red sandstone walls of a city, with figures being allowed entry through a wooden door in the gateway.

Babur receiving Uzbek and Rajput envoys in a garden at Agra. Babur, seated beneath a scarlet rectangular canopy, sits on a low takht receiving envoys in a garden full of flowers and blossoming trees. Behind him, at the top of the composition, are the red sandstone walls of a city, with figures being allowed entry through a wooden door in the gateway.

Purchased from Messrs luzac & Co., 46 Great Russell Street

S.A.A Rizvi, in Religious and Intellectual History of the Muslims in Akbar's Reign (Delhi, 1975, 220-221), notes:
The Babur Nama, in Chaghta'i Turkish, a mine of information relating to Central Asia, Kabul and India, was of an absorbing interest for the Indian Timurids. The portions relating to the Indian period of Babur's autobiography had already been translated by his sadr, Zainu'd Din Khwafi, into Persian. In 994/1584 Mirza Payandah Hasan Ghaznavi commenced its translation at the insistence of Bihruz Khan (who was afterwards given the title of Naurang Khan by Akbar and died as a governor of Junahgarh in 1002/1593-94), but he could not translate the account beyond the first sixth and a part of the seventh year. Subsequently one Muhammad Quli Mughal HIsari continued the work and brought it down to 935/1528-29. Akbar ordered Mirza 'Abdu'r Rahim Khan-i Khanan to translate it again and he completed the work in 998/1589. He presented his translation to the Emperor as he was returning from Kabul on 24 November 1589. The Khan-i Khanan excelled all the previous translators.

The museum bought 16 folios from the Baburnama at the end of December 1912 (IM.260-274-1913) from Luzac & Co for £250. This folio was bought separately, in March 1913 from the same source, for £25. The double page composition of Babur directing the laying out of a garden (IM.276&a-1913) was bought at the same time as this, for £50.

Purchased from Messrs luzac & Co., 46 Great Russell Street. 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.

RP 1913-1239M

Babur (r. 1526-1531), a Central Asian prince descended from the great ruler Timur, was the founder of the Mughal empire. He wrote an account of his life in his first language, Chaghatay Turkish. By the time Akbar succeeded to the throne, few at court understood the language, and in 1589 the emperor ordered Babur's memoirs to be translated into Persian. Several illustrated copies were made for the emperor. In this page from a copy done in about 1590, an event of 1582 celebrating Babur's recent victory over Ibrahim Lodi is depicted. The new ruler is shown seated beneath a deep red rectangular canopy, sitting on a low platform receiving Uzbek envoys in the garden full of flowers and blossoming trees. Behind him, at the top of the composition, are the red sandstone walls of a city, with figures being allowed entry through a wooden door in the gateway.The time taken to complete the painting, 50 days, is recorded in minute lettering at bottom left of the page. A contemporary inscription records the name of the artist, Ramdas.

IM.275-1913