Da’ud Receives a Robe of Honor from Akbar’s Vizier

Akbar’s army subdued Da’ud, the Afghan ruler of Bihar and Bengal, after he treasonously assumed the title of padshah (emperor). Here, Da’ud dons an imperial robe to enact symbolically his surrender to Akbar. A later entry in the Akbarnama notes that Da’ud’s subservience did not last. He was beheaded in a subsequent battle with the emperor’s forces.

Hiranand’s bird’s-eye perspective encompasses both the ceremony and the flourishing terrain of the empire. The atmospheric haze of the distant landscape is a technique that Akbar’s artists adapted from European images that had been presented as gifts to the emperor.




Da’ud Receives a Robe of Honor from Akbar’s Vizier
From an Akbarnama (Book of Akbar)
Attributed to Hiranand
India, Mughal dynasty, ca. 1596–1600
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Purchase
Freer Gallery of Art F1952.31