Akbar and Jaimal
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
Victoria and Albert Museum
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- 9 days ago
- In this state since
- Sep 25, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
The painting is an illustration from the Akbarnama. It depicts the fall of the Rajasthani fortress of Chitor in 1568, when the Mughal army succeeded in approaching the ramparts by constructing covered defences. As Akbar surveyed the battle one evening, he took aim with his gun at a figure in the fort whose studded coat indicated that he was a leading enemy soldier. The shot killed the man, who was discovered to be the Rajput hero Jaimal, and the fortress fell to the Mughals.
Read on
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 Victoria and Albert 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.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- IS.2:68-1896
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum: the museum's own open data · fetched 9 days ago
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
