Open Research will be unavailable from 8am to 8.30am on Monday 28th July 2025 due to scheduled maintenance. This maintenance is to provide bug fixes and performance improvements. During this time, you may experience a short outage and be unable to use Open Research.
 

Akbar-Nama of Abu'l Fazl: Akbar mounted on elephant pursues wild elephant across collapsing bridge of boats, outline by Basawan, painting by Chatar, late 16th century

Date

Authors

Victoria & Albert Museum
Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Abstract

Description

Striking instances of a strong diagonal axis occur in two of the best-known pages, illustrating Akbar's attempt to control a wild elephant as it rushes onto a bridge of boats on the Jehelum, and the siege train before the castle of Ranthambor, hauled up the steep rocky hill by oxen. The first of these two double-page pictures is by Basawan, the second by Miskina, both of whom are rivalled in this manuscript only by three other painters, Lal, Kesu the Elder and Madhu the Elder, all of whom are not unexpectedly among those mentioned in the A'in I-Akbari, thus showing their reputation at the time. (Douglas E. Barrett & Basil Gray, Painting of India, Geneva, Skira, 1963, p. 93)

Citation

Collections

Source

Type

Archives Series

Date created

Access Statement

License Rights

This item is provided for research purposes. Contact the Australian National University Archives at butlin.archives@anu.edu.au for permission to use.

DOI

Restricted until

Downloads