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拍品專文
In 1589 the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) commissioned his prime minister and close friend Abu'l-Fazl to write a chronicle of his reign. Nearly a decade later, in 1598, this text was presented to the Emperor as the Akbarnama. This 'first' Akbarnama can be dated to circa 1590-95. It is thought that work on the manuscript and its illustrations began even before the final text was presented to Akbar. A large section of some 274 folios and 116 illustrations of this royal manuscript are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (IS.2:1-1896 to IS.2:1 / 128-1896) and the manuscript is therefore sometimes known as the Victoria and Albert Akbarnama. The section in the Victoria and Albert Museum concerns events that took place between 1560 to 1577. A group of other loose illustrations are known which brings the number of overall illustrations to approximately 130. These appear to all belong to an earlier section of the manuscript and illustrate events up to 1560. The present lot falls into this group.
In our painting the young Akbar is in the process of confronting a large cobra which has emerged from a cave in the lyrically rolling landscape. The event is recorded by Abu'l-Fazl as related to him by Akbar's wetnurse Jiji Ananga: 'One day he had gone forth from Dihli to hunt in the district of Palam, and there an enormous and terrific serpent, such as might move the heart of the daring, appeared on the line of the road. On this occasion his Majesty exhibited the miracle of Moses, and without the hesitation which comes even to generous hearts, put forth his white hand and approaching the serpent, courageously and in the strength of a sacred intimation seized its tail with his hold hand and quelled it. Yusuf Muhammad Khan, brother of Mirza 'Aziz Kokaltash, beheld this token of power and in his astonishment came and told me.' (Abu'l-Fazl, Akbarnama, translated H. Beveridge, vol.1, Calcutta, 1907, p.385).
In the text this story is told to Abu'l-Fazl by Jiji Ananga alongside another from Akbar's infancy, which she had kept secret until after Akbar's coronation as proof of Akbar's divine destiny and innate ability to perform miraculous acts throughout his life (ibid, pp.385-86). Therefore, the exact date of the confrontation with the snake is unclear but likely to be shortly after Akbar's coronation which is further supported by the very youthful appearance of the Emperor who assumed the throne at just thirteen (Terence McInerney, Indian Painting: 1525-1825, David Carritt Limited exhibition catalogue, London, 1982, p.23).
The present folio has most likely been cut down as it is slightly smaller than the majority of other known illustrations from the 'first' Akbarnama (ibid, p.23). However, the vitality of colour and dynamic composition relate this illustration stylistically to the others from the manuscript in comparison to the greater refinement of painting in the closing years of Akbar's reign. In addition to the present lot and the Victoria and Albert illustrations, loose illustrations from the 'first' Akbarnama are in the Golestan Museum, Tehran (2253), British Library (Johnson Album, 8, no.4), Cincinnati Art Museum (1947.581), Cleveland Museum of Art (71.77), Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC (45.27), Art Institute of Chicago (1919.898) and Philadelphia Museum of Art (Edwin Binney 3rd Collection, 1990.288). Others have sold at auction in Sotheby's London 13 July 1971, lot 74; 12 April 1976, lot 72; 16 April 1984, lot 43; 12 October 2005, lot 33; 23 October 2019, lots 175-177.
In our painting the young Akbar is in the process of confronting a large cobra which has emerged from a cave in the lyrically rolling landscape. The event is recorded by Abu'l-Fazl as related to him by Akbar's wetnurse Jiji Ananga: 'One day he had gone forth from Dihli to hunt in the district of Palam, and there an enormous and terrific serpent, such as might move the heart of the daring, appeared on the line of the road. On this occasion his Majesty exhibited the miracle of Moses, and without the hesitation which comes even to generous hearts, put forth his white hand and approaching the serpent, courageously and in the strength of a sacred intimation seized its tail with his hold hand and quelled it. Yusuf Muhammad Khan, brother of Mirza 'Aziz Kokaltash, beheld this token of power and in his astonishment came and told me.' (Abu'l-Fazl, Akbarnama, translated H. Beveridge, vol.1, Calcutta, 1907, p.385).
In the text this story is told to Abu'l-Fazl by Jiji Ananga alongside another from Akbar's infancy, which she had kept secret until after Akbar's coronation as proof of Akbar's divine destiny and innate ability to perform miraculous acts throughout his life (ibid, pp.385-86). Therefore, the exact date of the confrontation with the snake is unclear but likely to be shortly after Akbar's coronation which is further supported by the very youthful appearance of the Emperor who assumed the throne at just thirteen (Terence McInerney, Indian Painting: 1525-1825, David Carritt Limited exhibition catalogue, London, 1982, p.23).
The present folio has most likely been cut down as it is slightly smaller than the majority of other known illustrations from the 'first' Akbarnama (ibid, p.23). However, the vitality of colour and dynamic composition relate this illustration stylistically to the others from the manuscript in comparison to the greater refinement of painting in the closing years of Akbar's reign. In addition to the present lot and the Victoria and Albert illustrations, loose illustrations from the 'first' Akbarnama are in the Golestan Museum, Tehran (2253), British Library (Johnson Album, 8, no.4), Cincinnati Art Museum (1947.581), Cleveland Museum of Art (71.77), Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC (45.27), Art Institute of Chicago (1919.898) and Philadelphia Museum of Art (Edwin Binney 3rd Collection, 1990.288). Others have sold at auction in Sotheby's London 13 July 1971, lot 74; 12 April 1976, lot 72; 16 April 1984, lot 43; 12 October 2005, lot 33; 23 October 2019, lots 175-177.