Construction of the fort at Agra illustration from Akbarnama (Book of Akbar) ca. 1590-95 (made)
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Watercolor |
| Current Location: | V&A South Kensington |
| Location History: | It was originally created in the Mughal imperial atelier around 1590–1595 during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar as part of the illustrated manuscript of the Akbarnama (Book of Akbar). After Akbar’s death in 1605, the manuscript remained in the imperial Mughal library under his son Jahangir and was later inherited by Shah Jahan. During the colonial period, Major General John Clarke acquired the manuscript in India while serving as Commissioner of Oudh between 1858 and 1862. After Clarke’s death, the manuscript passed to his widow, Frances Clarke, of The Dingle, Sydenham Hill, London. The Victoria and Albert Museum purchased the manuscript from Frances Clarke in 1896, where it remains today in the South & South East Asia Collection and is currently displayed at V&A South Kensington. |
This painting seems to record a moment of people working hard rather than an impersonal, sterilised account of history. After depicting the enormous task of constructing Agra Fort, the artist paints the numerous individual tasks involved, from the labourer's heavy and strained movements to the artisan's calm concentration. Instead of focusing on the fort's stone walls and artisans, the artist seems to view the people who sweated and struggled to build the fort. The painting also demonstrates a visible and almost musical rhythm to the scene, as numerous people wind and ascend the walls, each providing one of many essential contributions to the building effort. Each of Agra Fort’s walls also serves as a reminder that an empire's history is, beneath its many pages of accomplishments, a history of the many people who laboured to build something that would dwarf the people involved. Each individual provided a movement, colour, and contribution to a monument.