Painting, Akbarnama, Akbar's victorious return to Fatehpur Sikri, outline by Kesav the Elder, painting Nar Singh, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590-95

Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, right half of double page IS.2:111-1896. Depicts Akbar's victorious return to Fathpur Sikri after his campaign in Gujarat. Akbar enters a courtyard followed by his entourage bearing spears and is greeted by his three sons, including Salim, his eldest.
The image is overlaid by a band of text which extends from the upper left hand margin of the picture.

Akbar's victorious return to Fathpur Sikri after his campaign in Gujarat. Akbar enters a courtyard followed by his entourage bearing spears and is greeted by his three sons, including Salim, his eldest.

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

Composition by Kesav Kalan, colours and details painted by Nar Singh.
Attribution place is likely to be Delhi, Agra or Fatehpur Sikri.

In this page of the Akbarnama the emperor Akbar is depicted on horseback receiving his sons homage at the royal city of Fathhpur ('City of Victory', and later known as Fathepur Sikri) after his victorious campaign in Gujarat in 1573.

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.

IS.2:110-1896