Akbar

This painting by Kesav Kalan and Chetarmuni depicts the emperor Akbar watching an extraordinary display of skill in catching fish from the banks of the river in front of a walled city and is an illustration to the Akbarnama (Book of Akbar).

The Akbarnama was commissioned by the emperor as the official chronicle of his reign. It was written by Abu'l Fazl between 1590 and 1595 and is thought to have been illustrated between ca.1592 and 1594 by at least forty-nine 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 that of Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). The Museum purchased it in 1896 from Frances Clarke, the widow of Major General John Clarke, an official who had been the Commissioner of Oudh, India, between 1858 and 1862.