Akbar Watching Fishermen at Pakpattan

This Mughal miniature depicts the launching of a kora, or "king's siege," by Akbar in 1573. This is when Akbar visits Pakpattan where he sees a local community of fishermen, who catch fish in a strange way. The narration describes how the fishermen went into the river and picked up fish by their mouth and hand and also some of them had iron spears to catch fish. This atypical scene is depicted in a densely detailed landscape featuring a walled city, trees, buildings, some animals and many figures. It is arranged vertically, with the river in the bottom part, and the settlement behind it. This is designed to create the effect in the viewer that the water leads towards the man-made constructions. The many figures are depicted in various activities: some are depicted fishing in the water, others are depicted catching the fish, etc., and people are depicted on the bank watching the activity. Akbar and his attendants are also visible people, and so the historical event can be portrayed in an active, contemporary setting – not a formal court scene. The buildings in the background are also well detailed, featuring domed roofs, walls, gateways and towers, giving the impression of a town from the Mughal era. Carefully repeated forms describe the trees and the vegetation, and swirling strokes and fish are used to fill the space for the water. Bright colors—red, orange, blue and green—contrast the darker vegetation and river. The painting is said to be by the hand of one of the prominent Hindu artists of Akbar's imperial atelier, Kesav Kalan or Kesu Kahar. The V&A Akbarnama is a collaborative effort, with one artist composing and creating the design, and another artist doing the work in colour. It is, therefore, clear from this work to see the organised and collaborative nature of the production of Mughal manuscripts. Akbarnama pictures were drawn around 1590-1595 to make visual records of the events of Akbar's reign.