Akbar Receiving Asaf Khan at Jaunpur, Attributed to Manohar, Chester Beatty Akbarnama – Restored Mughal Wall Art

A masterwork from the Chester Beatty Akbarnama manuscript, this painting depicts Emperor Akbar receiving his leading general Asaf Khan at Jaunpur in 1565, following a victorious military campaign. Attributed to the celebrated court artist Manohar and painted circa 1603–1605, the composition unfolds across multiple tiers—Akbar seated in regal composure upon an elevated platform, surrounded by courtiers, noblemen, and attendants arranged in careful hierarchy. The text chronicles how Asaf Khan presented the emperor with spoils of war: elephants, fine horses from Iran and Turkey, and the rarities of the conquered region. The painting exemplifies the second imperial copy of Abu'l Fazl's official chronicle, written between 1589 and 1598.

Manohar, son of the legendary painter Basawan, excelled at composing history paintings with theatrical clarity and exquisite detail. His long career spanned the courts of Akbar and Jahangir, and he was celebrated for capturing the grandeur of imperial darbar scenes with fidelity and cultural depth. The Akbarnama manuscripts, scattered today between collections worldwide, remain among the most important visual chronicles of Mughal sovereignty—each folio a window into the cosmopolitan splendor, military might, and administrative genius that defined Akbar's fifty-year reign over Hindustan.

This painting is part of Aurah Living's restored Mughal collection — digitally cleaned and color-corrected from archival sources, with the folio's painted inset, decorative hashiya, and original paper margins preserved.

Premium matte paper print, framed in solid wood with a beveled cream mat. Three frame finishes: Black, Red Oak, White. Free shipping in the continental United States.