Painting, Akbarnama, Akbar receives Abd al-Rahim, outline and painting by Anant, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590-95

Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, depicting Akbar receiving Abdu'r Rahim, the four-year old son of Bairam Khan, at court. The child is helped onto the dais by another man, who has been identified tentatively as the Ataga Khan. In the foreground, a man leads a cheetah.

Akbar receiving Abdu'r Rahim, the four-year old son of Bairam Khan, at court. The child is helped onto the dais by another man, who has been identified tentatively as the Ataga Khan.

Purchased from Mrs. Clarke, The Dingle, Sydenham Hill, S. E

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

This illustration to the Persian-language history of the reign of Akbar is by one of the Mughal artists of the royal workshop, Anant. It depicts the emperor receiving the four-year old Abdu'r Rahim at court following the assassination of his father, Akbar's leading general and mentor, Bairam Khan, in 1561. The child is helped onto the dais by another man, who has been identified tentatively as Ataga Khan. The event took place in 1561.
The Akbarnama (Book of Akbar) was commissioned by the emperor as the official chronicle of the 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. 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 Clarke, an official who had been the Commissioner in Oudh province between 1858 and 1862.

IS.2:7-1896