Commissioned for Emperor Akbar, the manuscript remained in the royal library under his successors, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. It was later acquired in India by Major-General John Clarke during his service as Commissioner of Oudh (1858–1862). The Victoria and Albert Museum purchased the manuscript from his widow, Mrs. Frances Clarke, in 1896.
The painting "Asaf Khan Presenting Spoils to Akbar at Jaunpur in 1565" is an extraordinary double-page folio from the royal Akbarnama manuscript (specifically the first Akbarnama, dated c. 1590–1595). In the highly structured system of the Mughal imperial atelier 'kitabkhana' grand historical compositions were rarely executed by a single hand. Instead, they relied on a precise division of labor. The manuscript is a principal literary work associated with the Mughal Court and was intricately connected to Akbar's political aspirations. For this painting, two master artists collaborated. Miskin, who executed the composition (tarh), and Bhagwan, who completed the painting and coloring (amal). In Mughal manuscripts of this era, the breakdown of duties on a folio was explicitly noted by court scribes in the margins. The pairing here follows a classic imperial formula. As the senior designer, Miskin established the structural layout, the mathematical perspective of the court, the dramatic tension, and the positioning of the massive war elephants and figures.
Bhagwan was tasked with bringing Miskin's structural skeleton to life. He chose the color palette, layered the pigments, rendered the textures of fabrics, stone, and elephant hide, and added the fine micro-details. While Miskin formed the rough framework of the Scene, Bhagwan's brushwork imbues the epic scene with a richness and historical realism that create an emotional response in the viewer. Bhagwan's contribution can be assessed through three primary artistic approaches.
The breadth of Bhagwan's mastery of color is demonstrated by how he uses color to establish the narrative weight of the work. In The Akbarnama Folio, Bhagwan makes the visual transition from the chaotic opulence of the War spoil of Garha to the orderliness of Emperor Akbar's court. Bhagwan uses the vibrant blue of lapis lazuli, the rich red of vermilion, and the painstakingly gold-leafed imperial-tenting and textiles that were a part of Akbar's court to catch the viewer's attention and to elevate Akbar's divinely sanctioned right to rule to another level.
Historical context to this painting is that in 1564, Mughal general Asaf Khan I invaded the prosperous Garha Kingdom (of Gondwana). The spoils of the battle were bountiful, Asaf Khan was able to seize great amounts of wealth including independently acquired riches; precious metal and an estimated one thousand war elephants. Asaf Khan did not turn all of these spoils into the Mughal treasury, but he kept the majority of it for himself in order to avoid appearing to be a thief yet, in order to avoid attracting the ire of Akbar, he presented a small fraction of them (two hundred war elephants and various horses/regionally rare items) to the Emperor on July 13, 1565 in Jaunpur. Shortly after presenting these spoils to Akbar, Asaf Khan's greed had caught up with him fearing that Akbar's finance minister Muzaffar Khan was going to audit him and he would face punishment for stealing so much, Asaf Khan panicked and fled Mughal territory but returned later and was subsequently pardoned for having fled.
Truschke Audrey- "The Mughal Book of War: A Persian Translation of the Sanskrit Mahabharata."Analyzes the cross-cultural negotiations between Hindu scholars and Muslim translators at Akbar's court, providing essential context for how the narrative was adapted before being illustrated by Mughal artists. Bhagwan had a gift for putting different stories together as single images, Bhagwan would have had to employ the stylistic conventions typical of this particular version. In contrast, Akbar has a clear and smooth complexion to depict an emperor who is serene, omniscient, and unperturbed by the magnificent scene - all the while secretly knowing of his general's disloyalty. Asaf Khan is portrayed in Bhagwan's notable and nervous diplomacy. Asaf Khan's history records that he had 800 elephants but only offered 200 to appease Akbar. Bhagwan uses soft facial shading to highlight Asaf Khan's bowing posture, suggesting humility tempered with anxiety. To contrast the bright cloth skirts and jackets of the courtiers, Bhagwan chose the earthy and organic colors of the spoils taken from the Garha Kingdom. The skin of the captured War elephants depicts the gradations of slate, charcoal, and pinkish flesh around the ears and trunks creates a heavy and living quality. The Akbarnama scenes demanded the utmost opulence, and Bhagwan was able to represent the surface textures with a remarkable level of attention to detail, which included the intricate geometric designs of the court carpets and the floral embroidery of the courtiers' jamas (outer garments).
The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court, written by Milo Cleveland Beach and first published in 1981(revised in 2012), is a seminal work for understanding how the Mughal atelier (or studio) evolved during Akbar the Great's reign.Bhagwan is widely considered a quintessential example of an artist fitting in the "second tier" or "studio" as opposed to the globally-known master artists (Basawan and Daswanth) who were instrumental to creating the magnificent, large-scale illustrated manuscripts that served to establish an imperial aesthetic.
This is a piece that demonstrates both the weight of a story being told and a healthy interest in observing the actions of others.Ultimately, Bhagwan’s art was an important part of the court's overall attempt to represent a foundational text of Sanskrit in a Persian way; thus contributing directly to the hybridized Indo-Persian aesthetic created by emperor Akbar.
Asaf Khan Presenting Spoils to Akbar at Jaunpur in 1565 celebrates Emperor Akbar's authority and the loyalty of his military commanders. The act of presenting the spoils of victory symbolizes respect for the emperor and reinforces the centralized power of the Mughal Empire. Akbar's elevated position beneath the royal canopy, surrounded by courtiers, contrasts with the standing figures offering tribute, emphasizing the hierarchy of the court. The painting is not just a record of a historical event but a visual expression of political power, military success, and the ceremonial traditions that helped strengthen Akbar's rule.
