Mines exploding during the siege of Chittor
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Watercolor |
| Current Location: | Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, United Kingdom |
| Location History: | 1590-1595: The folio was produced for the imperial illustrated Akbarnama, probably in the Mughal court atelier. The illustrated volume records events from Akbar's reign. 18th century- The manuscript bears seals dated 1766 and 1794, identifying the Nawab of Rampur as an owner. 1858-1862: The second volume remained in India until it came to the attention of Major General Clarke, a senior British administrator in Awadh during this period. 1896- Following Clarke's death, his widow sold the manuscript to the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was initially misidentified by the museum as an illustrated Āʾīn-i Akbarī. 1905- The manuscript's true identity was recognised when historian Henry Beveridge examined it at the museum. Today- The folio remains in the V&A's collection under IS.2:67-1896 |
Miskina’s A Mine Explodes During the Siege of Chittor can be read as more than a record of Mughal military victory. The painting’s composition is crowded and energetic, which conveys the uncertainty, violence and human cost of warfare. The exploding mine becomes the dramatic center of the scene, breaking the fortifications and throwing soldiers and workers into a moment of danger. Instead of showing war as something organised or heroic, Miskina shows it as something erratic and physically ruinous. The jam of soldiers, labourers, weapons, buildings and rocky ground gives a sense of confusion and motion. The elevated viewpoint allows the viewer to see many activities at once, and the battlefield looks vast and always in motion. The landscape matters because the uneven rocks and fortified structures are not mere background, but are actively impacting the movement and conflict taking place in the scene. And the painting also reflects the Mughal obsession with chronicling history with increasing visual realism. The figures are individualised by gestures, clothes and actions, which bring immediacy to the scene. The dramatic explosion also brings an emotional dimension, by making the consequences of warfare visible. The work thus glorifies imperial military ambition, but also shows the danger, disorder and human suffering that came with conquest.