Indian Painting under the Mughals, A.D. 1550 to A.D. 1750 c18.23

c18.23

Of the list of illustrated manuscripts one volume only now remains to be discussed. This is the copy of the *Akbarnāma* in the Indian Section at South Kensington. On the fly-leaf it bears an inscription, which has every appearance of being authentic, relating that ‘on the fifth Azar of the first year (1605) this book was entered in the library of this suppliant at the gate of God. Written by Nur ud-Din Jahangir, son of Akbar Padshah.’ With few exceptions each picture in the series is the handiwork of more than one artist, the names of those concerned being written on the margin of each folio by a scribe. It is doubtful whether the writing is contemporary with the painting. The artists whose names are on these pictures were all the principal painters at the court of Akbar, and were practically the same staff that illustrated the Jaipur *Razmnāma* and the Bankipur *Tīmūrnāma*. As a whole the paintings in the *Akbarnāma* display a similarity in treatment and an evenness in technique which, in view of the number of artists employed on the work, is somewhat singular. While there are some differences between an illustration inscribed with the name of Basawan and another on which may be read that of Farrukh Beg, the pictures, in their actual craftsmanship, might have been painted by the same hand. The criticism may be pushed even farther. While the picture by Farrukh Beg illustrated on Plate XXXVIII, recording an historic interview between Mir Mu‘izz ul-Mulk and Bahadur Khan in 1567, is reminiscent of the Kalmack’s style, in its handling it is very different from the picture ascribed to the same artist and reproduced on Plate XIV.