Mirza Sulayman

Mirza Sulayman, attributed to Bhagwan (circa 1590) is a Mughal miniature. It is part of the illustrated Akbarnama, a chronicle of the reign of Emperor Akbar written by the court historian Abu’l Fazl in Persian. The miniature depicts the story of Mirza Sulayman leaving the siege of Kabul as the Mughals move in. The Mughal Empire was a complex environment in its early years with several Timurid princes competing for control of land. The name Mirza derives from the Persian amirzadeh meaning son of an amir. This demonstrates Mirza Sulayman’s aristocratic background. The movement in the piece creates a sense of urgency, as the Mughal army moves in. Mirza Sulayman is depicted wearing a light coloured robe and riding a white horse. He is riding through rough terrain with attendants and soldiers by his side. The horse is moving forwards, the figures are facing the right way and are spread out across the landscape to create a sense of movement. The soldiers are holding spears and there are retainers. This shows that the event was a military one. However, the focus is on the retreat. The landscape plays a key role. The hills are rocky and have been skilfully layered to create a sense of depth. The colour and shape of the hills give a sense of individuality to each hill. The landscape does not use linear perspective. Instead the viewpoint has been raised, the distance has been shortened and the hills have been layered to create a sense of depth. This relates to the narrative style of paintings in Mughal manuscripts. Often the actions and individual figures will be the focus rather than a sense of perspective. The colour has been used carefully to create contrast between Mirza Sulayman and his attendants and the landscape. The details have been carefully drawn to give a sense of individuality. This is typical of the evolving Mughal style during Akbar’s rule. It combines Persian manuscript style, Indian style and detailed observation of people and animals. This piece also shows that the imperial atelier worked as a team. The catalogue for the Victoria and Albert Museum states that Bhagwan was the artist who created the composition. However, Madhav was the artist who painted the faces. Mughal manuscripts were often created by working as a team. This shows that individual artists were involved but also that there was a structured artistic environment. This piece is part of the Akbarnama. It was created to provide a record of Akbar’s rule and show his sovereignty. The narrative within the painting shows how a specific event has been carefully structured to show the power of the empire. This folio has been preserved in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It is an important piece as it demonstrates the ability of the Mughal atelier in the late sixteenth century to create a piece with a narrative, detailed figures and unique landscape. The painting is significant as it shows how the figures have been arranged, moved and detailed to show how vulnerable the opposing prince was against the growing empire of Akbar.