"Akbar With Lion and Calf", Folio from the Shah Jahan Albumverso: ca. 1630; recto: ca. 1530–50
The emperor Akbar, grandfather of Shah Jahan, sits in state while a lion and a calf lie peacefully together before him, an emblem of the justice of his reign, under which the strong did not prey upon the weak. More about this work
About this work
The emperor Akbar, grandfather of Shah Jahan, sits in state while a lion and a calf lie peacefully together before him, an emblem of the justice of his reign, under which the strong did not prey upon the weak. Angels appear above. Govardhan painted this posthumous portrait around 1630 for the Shah Jahan Album, an imperial collection of paintings and calligraphy mounted on richly decorated pages; the other side of the leaf dates from the sixteenth century. Akbar had died in 1605, and such images allowed Shah Jahan to present his own rule as heir to his grandfather’s.
Written by Ochre Editions.
How it was made
- Opaque watercolour
- Watercolour made opaque with white or chalk and laid in flat, even layers. Persian and Indian painters ground their colours from minerals, applied them with the finest brushes and burnished the finished page.
- Watercolour
- Pigment in gum arabic, thinned with water and laid in transparent washes. Nothing white is painted: the light is the paper showing through.
- Ink on paper
- Ink made from soot and animal glue, ground with water on an inkstone. A single brush can give a hair-fine line or a broad wash, and nothing can be corrected.
Govardhan
Govardhan worked at the Mughal court for half a century, from the last years of Akbar’s reign through those of Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The son of a court artist, he was celebrated for portraits that combine close observation with psychological warmth, and for sympathetic studies of holy men, ascetics and musicians. His work appears in the great imperial albums, including the album assembled for Shah Jahan.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Met has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 55.121.10.22
- Credit
- Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Type
- Codices
- Department
- Islamic Art
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
