Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London. Accession number: IS.2:93-1896
This particular folio from the Victoria and Albert Museum's Akbarnama Manuscript depicts the Mughal emperor Akbar inspecting the animals killed as part of a hunt, at night lit by torches. The Persian inscription underneath the painting in question mentions the names of the two artists who collaborated in the creation of this particular piece and translates to "composition by Lal, work by Kesav Khord", with Lal being the designer and Kesav Khord being the artist who finished the coloring of the piece.
The artist Lal has, to his credit, the greatest number of paintings in this particular manuscript, and the specific folio here sheds light on his position as a designer rather than a colorist; this distinction is an important point to pay close attention to, as much of his documented work across the Akbarnama shows him working in both capacities.
The folio is quite different from the ones commonly found in the manuscript, as this particular scene is depicted at night and therefore poses a distinct visual challenge to create a painting that convincingly translates the image of a night illuminated by the light of torches. The torches therefore appear to act as anchor points guiding the viewer's eyes.
The dark blue sky and shadowed forest setting establish the nocturnal atmosphere, while torches illuminate the emperor and his hunting party. Akbar is shown on the right, dressed in a green jama, inspecting the animals that have been killed during the hunt. Across the composition, attendants carry and display hunted animals, including deer and other game, creating a sense of movement and activity. Several hunters also lead chained cheetahs, animals trained and used by Mughal rulers for hunting.
