Durbar of Emperor Akbar Shah II

1820–30

Not on view

This late Mughal painting illustrates a durbar event of the second to last emperor, Akbar II (r. 1806–37). Though the scene is a typically grand durbar gathering, with the sovereign seated upon the famous Peacock throne at the Diwan-I Khas at the Red Fort in Delhi, the painting masks the decline of Mughal power as the British steadily tightened their control of India. In truth, Akbar II had little royal power but still engaged in public ceremonies and processions.

Though durbar scenes are common in imperial Mughal painting, the influence of European art can be seen in the use of perspective in the recession of the hall, and the depiction of many of the figures in three-quarter view, rather than profile.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Durbar of Emperor Akbar Shah II
Date: 1820–30
Geography: Country of Origin India
Medium: Opaque color and gold on paper
Dimensions: Image: 29 5/8 × 24 5/16 in. (75.2 × 61.8 cm)
Frame: 36 × 30 1/2 × 1 in. (66 × 77.5 × 2.5 cm)
Classification: Codices
Credit Line: Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions, Harris Brisbane Dick, and 2020 Benefit Funds; Howard S. and Nancy Marks, Lila Acheson Wallace, and Friends of Islamic Art Gifts; Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest; and funds from various donors, 2022
Object Number: 2022.196
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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