Bhura
Painting
May one see it?
Unknown
Victoria and Albert Museum
London, United Kingdom
The owner is known; whether it is on view today is not.
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
This illustration from the Akbarnama depicts the celebrations at the royal city of Fathpur ('City of Victory', and later known as Fatehpur Sikri) after the birth of Akbar's second son, Murad, in 1570. The red inscription beneath the painting notes that the design of the composition and the application of paint were both done by the Mughal court artist Bhura, with portraits by the more renowned artist Basawan.
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.2:80-1896
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
