Akbar II on an elephant
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
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
This Company Painting depicts Akbar II (1759-1837), who became the penultimate Mughal emperor (King of Delhi) in 1806. He is seated on an elephant with his son Prince Mirza Selim behind him holding a peacock-feather fan. The paper contains a watermark of 1821, and since the painting was formerly in the collection of Lord Amherst, Governor-General of Fort William (1823-1828), it was probably made for him and his wife during their visit to Delhi in 1827. On his death, Akbar II was succeeded by the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II.
Read on
‘Company paintings’ were produced by Indian artists for Europeans living and working in the Indian subcontinent, especially British employees of the East India Company. They represent a fusion of traditional Indian artistic styles with conventions and technical features borrowed from western art. Some Company paintings were specially commissioned, while others were virtually mass-produced and could be purchased in bazaars.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- IS.59-1964
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum: the museum's own open data · fetched 11 days ago
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
