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Primary sourcePainting1590

The Young Emperor Akbar Arrests the Insolent Shah Abu'l-Maali

Basawan · 1590

A page from the Akbarnama manuscript showing the teenage Akbar asserting his authority by having a powerful noble arrested.

This Akbarnama page depicts a young Akbar asserting authority by arresting a rebellious noble early in his reign.

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Mughal miniature painting of a royal court scene: a young ruler seated on a gold throne under a green canopy, with a standing figure in brown robes gesturing, and crowds of courtiers and armed men. In the lower area, soldiers struggle with a figure on the ground and a rider on a black horse appears at right. Persian caption at bottom.
Basawan, page from the Akbarnama, 1590. Art Institute of Chicago.

About this source

What it is

This painting by the artist Basawan, dated 1590, is a page from a manuscript of the Akbarnama, the official history of Akbar's reign. It is held at the Art Institute of Chicago.

It shows a young ruler seated on a throne while soldiers below restrain a man on the ground, with a Persian caption identifying the scene.

Why it matters

The image records an early test of Akbar's power, when as a young emperor he confronted an overmighty noble, Shah Abu'l-Maali. It shows how the Akbarnama was used to present Akbar as a strong and decisive ruler even in his youth, and reveals the court's reliance on skilled artists like Basawan to shape that image.

Look closer

  • Where is the young emperor placed in the composition, and what does that suggest about his status?
  • What is happening to the figure being restrained, and how does the artist show the tension of the moment?
  • Why might this story have been chosen to include in Akbar's official history?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Akbar the Great on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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