Page from an Akbar-nama Manuscript: Muzaffar Khan Quells a Revolt at Hajipur (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
Mughal Emperor Akbar’s youthful love of poetry and myth was eventually replaced by an intense interest in history. Concerned with his own historical portrayal, he commissioned an official account of his life, the Akbar-nama. This painting, the left half of a double-page composition (the right side is in Copenhagen), is from an imperial copy of this history, prepared in 1596–97. It illustrates an event of 1575, when the Mughal officer Muzaffar Khan sent his troops in an earlymorning assault across the Gandak River to attack the Afghans
at Hajipur in Bihar. Some Mughal warriors cross the swift river on boats with horses and attendants; others swim. This painting, like many from the manuscript, was later removed from its original binding, trimmed, and remounted in the sumptuous borders of a Jahangir-period text.
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.