Posted on: 12 January 2013

Akbar inspecting a wild elephant captured from a herd near Malwa in 1564. Painting from the Akbarnama, 1590-1595.


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 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.

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 inscriptions in red ink on the bottom of the paintings name the artists.

Copyright: © V&A Images


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just beautiful

E.B. Havell, in his book "Indian Sculpture and Painting" talks about how Akbar reintroduced the study of nature and animate elements into painting, a practice that was under religions sanction before him. His era was thus a transitional one, marked by much learning from Hindu renderings of such subjects. Akbar and his son Jahangir also involved themselves in the lives of court painters, adopting them, giving them royal titles and financially rewarding their work. It is also said that in such miniatures, the outline artist was different from the one who painted them in, which may account for the stiffness of movement, apart from the fact that such skill was just beginning to be mastered under Muslim reign.

the entire process of coming out with a 'jild' was fascinating.......