Painting
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Painting” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
This illustration from the Akbarnama shows the cleansing and purification of Kukar Talao (the local water tank) at Nagar, Rajasthan in 1570 by order of the emperor Akbar. After the cleaning, the water tank was renamed Shukr Talao or Thanksgiving Tank. This image is the left-hand side of a double picture (the other half is IS.2:83-1896), which shows Akbar watching on horseback followed by his retinue.
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
Details
- Accession number
- IS.2:82-1896
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
