The painting titled 'The Young Emperor Akbar Arrests the Insolent Shah Abu'l-Maali' is a page from a manuscript of the Akbarnama, designed by Basawan and painted by Shankar, a renowned artist in Akbar's court. The scene in the painting shows thirteen-year-old Akbar, after 3 days of his coronation, seen arresting his late father's favorite courtier while he himself is sitting on a golden throne and his Mughal soldiers are seen arresting Shah Abu'l Maali. Akbar is sitting under an olive green chatri and being fanned by his courtiers, and people around are seen protesting for his arrest and are countered and attacked by Akbar's fauj via stick and sword. The area is covered with a yellow and blue tent, where detailed floral work is done on the bluish part of the tent. The use of a warm color palette enhances the beauty of the miniature painting, and it is also one of the foremost features of this art style. The fine and delicate brush strokes and the minor detailing with thin brushes beautify it, adding warmth to the painting. And the use of gold and silver in ornamentation and of Akbar's and his courtiers' jewelry is a cherry on top because it makes it more realistic and eye-catching. Therefore, this painting is a masterpiece painted by Shankar during Akbar's reign.
The painting has a vibrant color palette which was widely used in Mughal miniature art form. The dominant shades of red are used for the throne representing power, the green canopy symbolizes imperial authority, the blue and golden embroidery work depicts the richness and wealth of the regime.
The painting, however, seems to be divided into three horizontal layers, the upper register depicts the vast expanse of the kingdom with monuments and natural elements of foliage. The central register mainly depicts the court of the king with his power of authority and sovereignty. This part also has the attention of the painting with its rich colors as mentioned earlier. The last register of the painting might represent the strength of the Mughal army at the time when Akbar was the ruler as one can witness the presence of men holding weapons, war horses and a bird which could be a messenger carrying an important information for the kingdom.
