John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874-1960) and Abigail Greene Aldrich Rockefeller (1874-1948).
Professor William Kelly Simpson (1928-2017) and Marilyn Ellen Milton Simpson (1931-1980).
Christie's London, 26 October 2017, lot 183.
This painting was created by Sur Das, also referred to as "Gujarati," who arrived at the Mughal court approximately ten years after Akbar subjugated western India. It is included in Jamal al-Din Inju Shirazi's Farhang-i Jahangiri (Jahangir's Dictionary), which was composed between 1602 and 1603. The recto is embellished with gold, ink, and color on paper, and it occasionally has distinguishing inscriptions in colored Nasta'liq script. An illuminated manuscript folio has been used to mount the painting. The verso is surrounded by a blue border with a gold floral meander and has 35 lines of exquisite red and black Nasta'liq script. Delicate floral sprays and black-outlined gold cloud bands adorn the edges.
The dramatic fight in which Kamal Khan vanquishes the armies of his uncle Sultan Adam and his cousin Lashkari is depicted in the painting. Kamal Khan was the son of Shir Shah, the older brother of Sultan Adam and the chief of the Gakhar hill tribe, which lived in northwest India between the Beas and Indus rivers. Kamal Khan was imprisoned in Gwalior upon the death of Shir Shah, and Sultan Adam took over as the tribe's head. Kamal Khan appealed to Emperor Akbar while he was incarcerated, and Akbar gave Sultan Adam the command to divide his lands with his nephew. Akbar sent soldiers to arrest and imprison Adam when he refused to cooperate.
The painting presents a dramatic battle scene from the Mughal period, showing Kamal Khan confronting the forces of Sultan Adam and his cousin Lashkari. What immediately stands out is the crowded arrangement of warriors and horses, which creates a strong sense of movement and chaos. The bright colours, detailed costumes and patterned armour make each figure visually distinct, while the surrounding landscape provides a calmer background to the violence of the battle. Despite the large number of figures, the composition remains organised through the placement of the armies across different sections of the scene. The painting also reflects the Mughal interest in recording historical events through visually elaborate manuscripts. Beyond simply illustrating a battle, it communicates ideas of power, loyalty and conflict, making the historical narrative feel immediate and alive
Share
By: Isha Pal
The painting transforms a dynastic conflict into a carefully constructed statement on imperial authority, political legitimacy, and martial sovereignty. Sur Das, identified as “Gujarati,” organizes the encounter through two concentrated bands of cavalry, producing a compressed visual rhythm in which the violence of battle becomes almost ceremonially ordered. The elaborately patterned horses, shields, textiles, and weapons demonstrate the Mughal atelier’s fascination with military spectacle, yet their decorative refinement contrasts sharply with the brutality implied by the narrative.
Unlike more panoramic battle scenes in the Akbarnama, where armies often dissolve into expansive landscapes, this composition concentrates attention upon the protagonists and their immediate confrontation. The restricted terrain intensifies the sense of political inevitability: Kamal Khan’s victory becomes visually synonymous with the restoration of rightful authority. Its inclusion within a lexicographical manuscript is equally significant, transforming historical conflict into an encyclopaedic image of power. The sumptuous gold margins further elevate the episode, framing regional resistance within the larger ideological universe of Mughal sovereignty.
