Painting
ca. 1590-95 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This painting is the right side of a double-page composition from the Akbarnama (Book of Akbar). The left side is Museum no. IS.2:112-1896. The general Husain Quli Khan Jahan is depicted here presenting prisoners to the Mughal emperor Akbar (r.1556–1605) in 1572, after the victorious military campaign in Gujarat, north-western India. The conquest of Gujarat, an area with many ports that dominated India’s trade with western Asia, was of immense strategic importance in the military campaigns of the early part of Akbar’s reign.
The Akbarnama was commissioned by Akbar as the official chronicle of his reign. It was written in Persian by his court historian and biographer, Abu’l Fazl, between 1590 and 1596, and the V&A’s partial copy of the manuscript is thought to have been illustrated between about 1592 and 1595. This is thought to be the earliest illustrated version of the text, and drew upon the expertise of some of the best royal artists of the time. Many of these are listed by Abu’l Fazl in the third volume of the text, the A’in-i Akbari, and some of these names appear in the V&A illustrations, written in red ink beneath the pictures, showing that this was a royal copy made for Akbar himself. After his death, the manuscript remained in the library of his son Jahangir, from whom it was inherited by Shah Jahan.
The Akbarnama was commissioned by Akbar as the official chronicle of his reign. It was written in Persian by his court historian and biographer, Abu’l Fazl, between 1590 and 1596, and the V&A’s partial copy of the manuscript is thought to have been illustrated between about 1592 and 1595. This is thought to be the earliest illustrated version of the text, and drew upon the expertise of some of the best royal artists of the time. Many of these are listed by Abu’l Fazl in the third volume of the text, the A’in-i Akbari, and some of these names appear in the V&A illustrations, written in red ink beneath the pictures, showing that this was a royal copy made for Akbar himself. After his death, the manuscript remained in the library of his son Jahangir, from whom it was inherited by Shah Jahan.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, Akbarnama, Husain Quli Khan Jahan paying respects to Akbar, outline and painting by Husain Naqqash, portraits by Kesu, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590-95 |
| Physical description | Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, right hand side of double picture, the left hand being IS.2:112-1896. Depicts Husain Quli Khan Jahan paying his respects to Akbar while presenting prisoners of war from Gujarat. An assembly of courtiers is shown facing Akbar who appears from a balcony window. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | Husain Quli Khan Jahan paying his respects to Akbar while presenting prisoners of war from Gujarat. An assembly of courtiers is shown facing Akbar who appears from a balcony window. |
| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | (The contemporary attribution to Husain Naqqash and Kesav is written in Persian in red ink is in the margin below the picture. The other side (IS.2:112-1896) has an inscription attributing the overall composition to Basawan.)
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| 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 probably by Basawan, painting by Husain Naqqash, portraits by Kesav |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Literary reference | Akbarnama |
| Summary | This painting is the right side of a double-page composition from the Akbarnama (Book of Akbar). The left side is Museum no. IS.2:112-1896. The general Husain Quli Khan Jahan is depicted here presenting prisoners to the Mughal emperor Akbar (r.1556–1605) in 1572, after the victorious military campaign in Gujarat, north-western India. The conquest of Gujarat, an area with many ports that dominated India’s trade with western Asia, was of immense strategic importance in the military campaigns of the early part of Akbar’s reign. The Akbarnama was commissioned by Akbar as the official chronicle of his reign. It was written in Persian by his court historian and biographer, Abu’l Fazl, between 1590 and 1596, and the V&A’s partial copy of the manuscript is thought to have been illustrated between about 1592 and 1595. This is thought to be the earliest illustrated version of the text, and drew upon the expertise of some of the best royal artists of the time. Many of these are listed by Abu’l Fazl in the third volume of the text, the A’in-i Akbari, and some of these names appear in the V&A illustrations, written in red ink beneath the pictures, showing that this was a royal copy made for Akbar himself. After his death, the manuscript remained in the library of his son Jahangir, from whom it was inherited by Shah Jahan. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | 186 - inscription/original number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.2:113-1896 |
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| Record created | November 16, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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