Akbarnama battle scene and garden border
late 16th - early 17th century
An assault of riotous color, landscapes and monuments barely contained within their frames, and a host of characters spring from the pages of these two paintings. The palace scene focuses on people in various chambers of a richly decorated interior, and the battle scene, from the chronicle of the Emperor Akbar’s rule (the border is from a slightly later manuscript), layers soldiers, horses and elephants in a field beyond the walls of a nearby city. Both scenes are common for their time, making it impossible to specifically name the characters or places depicted, but each represents a golden age in Islamic figural painting.
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
9 15/16 x 5 7/8 in. (25.3 x 15 cm)
Gift of Mrs. John C. Atwood, Jr.
54.34