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Akbar

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

In this illustration to the Akbarnama, the official history of the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar, the ruler is depicted dressed in white in the upper section of the painting. He directs the construction of the royal city of Fathpur ('City of Victory', later known as Fatehpur Sikri) in 1571.

The Akbarnama was commissioned in 1589 by Akbar. It was written in Persian by Abu'l Fazl between 1590 and 1596. This incomplete copy of the text was illustrated by royal artists as the historian wrote and revised his work. After Akbar's death in 1605, the folios remained in the library of his son, Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) and later Shah Jahan (r.1628-1658). The Victoria and Albert Museum purchased them in 1896 from Mrs Frances Clarke, the widow of Major-General John Clarke, who had bought it in India while serving as Commissioner of Oudh between 1858 and 1862.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleAkbar (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Brief description
Painting, Akbarnama, Akbar supervises building of Fatehpur Sikri, outline by Tulsi the Elder, painting by Bandi, portraits Madhav the younger, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590-95
Physical description
Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Akbar, in white at the upper right of the painting, supervising the building of the city of Fathpur (Fatehpur Sikri). The image shows a crowded building site with both male and female labourers.
Dimensions
  • Painting height: 32.7cm
  • Painting width: 19.5cm
Content description
Akbar, in white at the upper right of the painting, supervising the building of the city of Fathpur (Fatehpur Sikri). The image shows a crowded building site with both male and female labourers.
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
(These are contemporary attributions in Persian, written in red in k in the margin below the picture.)
Translation
'Composition by Tulsi/Work [ie painting] by Bandi/Faces by Madhav Khord'
Transliteration
'Tarah Tulsi/amal Bandi/chehra nami Madhav Khord'
Credit line
Purchased from Mrs. Clarke, The Dingle, Sydenham Hill, S. E
Object history
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
Production
Composition by Tulsi, colours and details painted by Bandi, portraits by Madhav Khord.
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Association
Literary referenceAkbarnama
Summary
In this illustration to the Akbarnama, the official history of the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar, the ruler is depicted dressed in white in the upper section of the painting. He directs the construction of the royal city of Fathpur ('City of Victory', later known as Fatehpur Sikri) in 1571.

The Akbarnama was commissioned in 1589 by Akbar. It was written in Persian by Abu'l Fazl between 1590 and 1596. This incomplete copy of the text was illustrated by royal artists as the historian wrote and revised his work. After Akbar's death in 1605, the folios remained in the library of his son, Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) and later Shah Jahan (r.1628-1658). The Victoria and Albert Museum purchased them in 1896 from Mrs Frances Clarke, the widow of Major-General John Clarke, who had bought it in India while serving as Commissioner of Oudh between 1858 and 1862.
Bibliographic references
  • Ahsan Jan Qaisar. Building Construction in Mughal India. The Evidence from Painting. Aligarh Muslim University/Oxford University Press, Delhi, 1988, Plate 3. Susan Stronge, Painting for the Mughal Emperor. The Art of the Book 1560-1650, V&A Publications, 2002, pl. 54, p. 84.
  • 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. 30, p. 34 and p. 58
  • Swallow, D., Stronge, S., Crill, R., Koezuka, T., editor and translator, "The Art of the Indian Courts. Miniature Painting and Decorative Arts", Victoria & Albert Museum and NHK Kinki Media Plan, 1993. pp. 68-9, cat. no. 51
Other number
175 - inscription/original number
Collection
Accession number
IS.2:91-1896

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Record createdNovember 6, 1998
Record URL
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