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1 5 /1 9 8 0 M in ia tu r e fra A k b a r - n a m e h
In d ie n , m o g h u l h o fs k o le o m k r in g 1590
G o u a c h e o g g u ld p å p a p ir
M in ia tu re : H :2 9 ,5 , B :1 9 ; A lb u m : H :4 3 ,5 , B :2 9 ,5
I 1526 e r o b re d e B a b u r , e n æ tlin g a f D je n g is K h a n
o g T im u r , D e lh i o g g r u n d la g d e h e r m e d m o g h u l-
d y n a s tie t, s o m sk u lle u n d e r læ g g e sig o g re g e re
o v e r In d ie n i å r h u n d re d e r . A k b a r, B a b u r s s ø n n e
s ø n , v a r o p v o k s e t u n d e r sin fa rs m id le r tid ig e la n d
f ly g tig h e d o g k u n n e a f s a m m e g r u n d h v e r k e n læ se
e lle r sk riv e . D e t tilk o m d e r fo r d e n læ rd e A b u ’l
F azl a t b e s k riv e d e n n e n a v n k u n d ig e s to r m o g h u ls
b e d r if te r i v æ r k e rn e A k b a r - n a m e h o g A ’in -i A k -
b a ri, h v ilk e t s k e te in d e n k e js e re n d ø d e i 1605.
I A ’in - i A k b a r i sk ild re s d e fo rs k e llig e ja g t t y p e r
o g k e js e re n s f o r h o ld d e rtil. S o m æ ld re sk u lle A k
b a r ik k e h a v e b r u d t sig o m j a g t , o g a lle re d e s o m
u n g h o ld t h a n sig til m e re æ d le f o r m e r , m e n s d e
y n d e d e k la p ja g te r v a r h a m im o d . F o r A k b a r , s k ri
v e r A b u ’l F azl, v a r j a g t lig e så m e g e t e n le jlig h e d til
a t u d f o r s k e n a tu r e n o g til u a n m e ld t a t in s p ic e re
la n d e t.
M in ia tu r e n m å n æ r m e s t b e tra g te s s o m e n k o m
p ila tio n a f fo rs k e llig e j a g tf o r m e r . U d o v e r d e le o
p a r d e r , s o m k e js e re n e r v e d a t fæ ld e, ses o g så ræ
v e , lo sse r, h a re r, g a z e lle r o g a g e rh ø n s . T il a t ja g e
d isse e r m e d b r a g t h u n d e , fa lk e , e n ja g tle o p a r d -
c h e e ta h - o g e n e le fa n t, s o m m e s t b r u g te s til tig e r
j a g t. B a g A k b a r ses e n h o f m a n d m e d e n e k s tra
lu n te b ø s s e , e e n m e d h a n s s v æ rd i e n r ø d p o s e , e e n
m e d h a n s b u e o g p ile k o g g e r o g e n v ifte b æ re r,
m e n s re s te n v e l e r e t u d t r y k fo r m a le re n s f o r tæ l
le g læ d e o g m e d fo r a t u n d e r s tr e g e , a t d e r e r tale
o m e n s y n te s e - j a g t i al d e n s m a n g fo ld ig h e d .
15/1980 Miniature from Akbar-nameh
India, Mogul court school about 1590
Gouache and gold on paper
Miniature: H:29.5, W:19; Album: H:43.5, W:29.5
In 1526 Babar, a descendant of Ghengis Khan and
Tamerlane, conquered Delhi and thereby founded the
Mogul dynasty that was to subjugate and rule over In
dia for centuries. Akbar, Babar’s grandson, grew up
during his father’s temporary exile and for this reason
could neither read nor write. It thus fell to the learned
Abu’l Fazl to describe this famous Mogul’s exploits in
two major works,
A k b a r - n a m e h
and
A ’in - i A k b a r i,
which were completed before the emperor died in 1605.
A ’in - i A k b a ri
contains descriptions of the various
forms of hunting and the emperor’s attitudes to them. In
his later years Akbar was apparently disinterested in
hunting, and even as a young man he had restricted
himself to the noblerforms, experiencing distastefor the
popular
b a ttu e s .
For Akbar, writes Abu’l Fazl, hunt
ing was just as much an opportunity to explore nature
and inspect the countryside unannounced.
The miniature must almost be regarded as a compila
tion of various hunting forms. Apart from the leopards
the emperor is about to kill can be seen also foxes,
lynxes, hares, gazelles and partridges. To hunt these,
dogs, falcons, a cheetah and an elephant (used mostly for
tiger-hunting) have been brought along. Behind Akbar
is a courtier with an extra matchlock, one with his
sword in a red bag, one with his bow and quiver, and a
fan-bearer, while the rest are no doubt an expression of
the painter’s narrative delight and meant to emphasize
that what we have here is a synthesis - hunting in all its
multiplicity.
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