A RARE MENTION OF PRINCE AKBAR AS A PAINTER ON HIS MERITS – DREW PICTURE OF A CUT OFF BODY OF ENEMY “HEMU” IN HIS VISION

A RARE MENTION OF PRINCE AKBAR AS A PAINTER ON HIS MERITS
DREW PICTURE OF A CUT OFF BODY OF ENEMY “HEMU” IN HIS VISION

Emperor Humayoun

Emperor Humayoun had invited Mir Sayyed Ali and Khawaja Abdus Samad Shireen Qalam to be court painters to himself. Living in Kabul, he instructed both the painters to give a lesson to his son Akbar. Prince Akbar who was only 13 years old at that time, drew a picture of the arch enemy of his father Hemu and he drew the picture in no traditional style, but his own vision. He drew a picture of Hemu with his body portions cut off. All limbs separated from body. Literally it is a bizarre narrative written in history books and mentioned by Emperor Jahangeer too. Abu Fazl mentions same in 1601 AD and Jahangeer in 1605 AD. But the incident is after 1555-1556 AD.

Humayoun and Akbar

The bizarre part is that Prince Akbar fulfilled the picture’s vision and himself cut Hemu into such pieces. When accosted, he told Bairam Khan that he had already done that. This is the only detailed version of Prince Akbar as a painter but we all know that he was one of the greatest patron of painting in this region. Mughal Art reached its splendour under him.

Prince Akbar presents painting to Humayoun 1555 AD

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