Circumcision ceremony for Akbar’s sons, painting 126 from an Akbar-nama (Book of Akbar) of Abu’l Fazl (Indian, 1551–1602)
1602
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1602
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a crowded royal party: men in bright robes, dancers twirling, and a king in white watching his sons’ circumcision ceremony. This painting comes from a book written while Emperor Akbar was still alive. The artist shows the emperor young, even though the book was finished just before his death. Look at the sweat stains under Akbar’s arms—tiny details like that make the scene feel real. To see more of these lively court scenes, look up mughal india, court of akbar (reigned 1556–1605).
