Painting
ca. 1590-95 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This illustration from the Akbarnama depicts a stage in the construction of the new royal city of Fathpur ('City of Victory', and later known as Fathpur Sikri) in 1571. In 1571, after the births of his sons Salim and Murad, Akbar issued an order for a great city to be constructed at Sikri, 38 kilometers east of Agra. A palace, houses, a bazaar, mosques, schools, baths and gardens, were all contained within 11 kilometers of high fortified walls. Initially called Fathabad, the city was soon renamed Fatehpur, both meaning ‘City of Victory’ in reference to Akbar’s successful campaign in Gujarat in 1573. It was the capital until 1585 when Akbar transferred it to Lahore.
The construction work is directed by an aristocratic figure seated within a pavilion whose rich interior includes a fine carpet and tiled walls. To the left is a water wheel (saqiya), the device borrowed from Iranian tradition and widely used to draw water from deep wells.
The elephants flanking the gateway are clearly real animals and may have been used to help lift heavy materials, but two elephants were also carved into the stone in high relief on the Hathiya Pol (‘Elephant gate’) at Fathpur, as Father Monserrate recorded when he arrived at the city with the first Jesuit mission from Goa in 1580. [Akbarnama, English translation: Beveridge, vol. II, pp. 530-1; vol. III, pp. 157-160]
The composition (tarh) of this painting is by Tulsi, the "work" ('amal) of applying the colours is by Bandi, and the faces of the most important personages are by Madhav Khord , as the inscription in red in the lower margin specifies.
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.
The construction work is directed by an aristocratic figure seated within a pavilion whose rich interior includes a fine carpet and tiled walls. To the left is a water wheel (saqiya), the device borrowed from Iranian tradition and widely used to draw water from deep wells.
The elephants flanking the gateway are clearly real animals and may have been used to help lift heavy materials, but two elephants were also carved into the stone in high relief on the Hathiya Pol (‘Elephant gate’) at Fathpur, as Father Monserrate recorded when he arrived at the city with the first Jesuit mission from Goa in 1580. [Akbarnama, English translation: Beveridge, vol. II, pp. 530-1; vol. III, pp. 157-160]
The composition (tarh) of this painting is by Tulsi, the "work" ('amal) of applying the colours is by Bandi, and the faces of the most important personages are by Madhav Khord , as the inscription in red in the lower margin specifies.
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.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, Akbarnama, the building of Fatehpur Sikri, outline by Tulsi the Elder, painting by Bhawani, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590-95 |
| Physical description | Painting in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, workmen building the royal city of Fathpur (Fatehpur Sikri). Depicts various areas of a construction site and its workers. Two elephants can be seen in the background forming an archway with their trunks. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | Workmen building the royal city of Fathpur (Fatehpur Sikri). Depicts various areas of a construction site and its workers. Two elephants can be seen in the background forming an archway with their trunks. |
| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | (This is a contemporary attribution in Persian, written in red ink in the margin beneath the picture.)
|
| 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 Bhawani. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Literary reference | Akbarnama |
| Summary | This illustration from the Akbarnama depicts a stage in the construction of the new royal city of Fathpur ('City of Victory', and later known as Fathpur Sikri) in 1571. In 1571, after the births of his sons Salim and Murad, Akbar issued an order for a great city to be constructed at Sikri, 38 kilometers east of Agra. A palace, houses, a bazaar, mosques, schools, baths and gardens, were all contained within 11 kilometers of high fortified walls. Initially called Fathabad, the city was soon renamed Fatehpur, both meaning ‘City of Victory’ in reference to Akbar’s successful campaign in Gujarat in 1573. It was the capital until 1585 when Akbar transferred it to Lahore. The construction work is directed by an aristocratic figure seated within a pavilion whose rich interior includes a fine carpet and tiled walls. To the left is a water wheel (saqiya), the device borrowed from Iranian tradition and widely used to draw water from deep wells. The elephants flanking the gateway are clearly real animals and may have been used to help lift heavy materials, but two elephants were also carved into the stone in high relief on the Hathiya Pol (‘Elephant gate’) at Fathpur, as Father Monserrate recorded when he arrived at the city with the first Jesuit mission from Goa in 1580. [Akbarnama, English translation: Beveridge, vol. II, pp. 530-1; vol. III, pp. 157-160] The composition (tarh) of this painting is by Tulsi, the "work" ('amal) of applying the colours is by Bandi, and the faces of the most important personages are by Madhav Khord , as the inscription in red in the lower margin specifies. 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. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | 176 - inscription/original number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.2:86-1896 |
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| Record created | November 6, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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