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description: Arts of the Islamic World
including 20th Century Middle Eastern Paintings
» lot 66
Sale L01281 Lot 66
A battle scene with combatants mounted on
elephants and horses, in the background a
fortress on fire with further troops fighting on
foot: illustration from a manuscript of the
Akbarnama, Mughal, c.1595-1600
London, Bond Street 30,000—40,000 GBP
Session 1, 18 Oct 01 10:30 AM
Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium:
60,300 GBP
DESCRIPTION
A battle scene with combatants mounted on
elephants and horses, in the background a
fortress on fire with further troops fighting on
foot: illustration from a manuscript of the
Akbarnama, Mughal, c.1595 - 1600 gouache with
gold on paper, laid down on an album page with
margins ruled in blue and gold, minor loss at
lower edge, numbered at lower left in red ink in
Persian '166'' numbered on reverse at upper left
in black ink '42'
miniature 34.5 by 21.6 cm.
album page 35.6 by 23.5
From a dispersed royal Mughal copy of the
Akbarnama. Three miniatures from the same
manuscript (and the same album) have been sold in
these rooms 3rd May 2001, lot 73; and 26th April
1991, lots 39 and 54. The last, now in the Nasser
D. Khalili Collection, London, has been
extensively discussed by Linda Leach who
identified its source as an Akbarnama. In
addition to her identification the illustration
sold in these rooms in May 2001 depicted a battle
during the Mughal campaign in Gujarat in 1572,
thus giving an historical episode specific to
Akbar's reign. There are two well-known extant
illustrated royal copies of the Akbarnama, one in
the Victoria and Albert Museum and one divided
between the British Library and the Chester
Beatty Library, Dublin. The present illustration
is thus from a third royal copy. The inscriptions
in the borders of some of the above mentioned
illustrations are in a seventeenth century hand,
suggesting that this copy was dispersed and
mounted early in its existence. The known
illustrations from this Akbarnama have been
ascribed to various artists working during
Akbar's reign. Two are ascribed to Bahman (as
above Sothebys 2001 and 1991, lot 54), one to the
artist Khem (Khem Karan or Khem Khurd, Sotheby's
1991, lot 39) and another to Lal, Dhanu and Khem
Karan (see Gray 1947, p.149, no.664).
For an extensive discussion of another leaf from
the same Akbarnama see Leach 1998, no.10.
For further references to the V&A and British
Library/Chester Beatty Akbarnama manuscripts see:
Beach 1981, pp.83-102
Leach 1995, vol.I,pp.232-30
Losty 1982, nos.70-71, pp.93-4
Picture and Information from www.Sothebys.com
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