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Babur receives booty and Humayun’s salute after the victory over Sultan Ibrahim in 1526, from an Akbar-nama (Book of Akbar) of Abu’l Fazl (Indian, 1551–1602)

Unknown

1596

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance History Painting

Dominant colour

Babur receives booty and Humayun’s salute after the victory over Sultan Ibrahim in 1526, from an Akbar-nama (Book of Akbar) of Abu’l Fazl (Indian, 1551–1602) is a 1596 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1596 · Mughal Painting
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a king on a throne under a blue canopy, while soldiers bring him bags of treasure and his son bows in a gold-and-wine robe. The painting is from a book about Emperor Akbar’s life, made about 40 years after the battle it shows. The tiny flowers and vines on the carpet are called arabesques—patterns borrowed from Persian books. If you like the look of royal Mughal scenes, search for “court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).”

The story of this work

Overview

The first Mughal emperor Babur sits enthroned as men bring gifts and sacks of tribute to mark a successful expansion of his territories. Emblematic of his role in leading the victory, his son Humayun wears a wine-and-gold robe of honor despite the Delhi heat in late April. Marking the royal space are a carpet and canopy painted with a lapis lazuli ground. The floral vine motif called arabesque swirls around a central lobed medallion. These delicate patterns are inspired from Persian manuscript illuminations. Contemporary historians describe awnings of gold embroidery, brocade, and velvet…