{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O126527"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O126527/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2013GB0929/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2013GB0929/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2013GB0929","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006BE9836","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O126527/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O126527","accessionNumber":"IM.272-1913","objectType":"Painting","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"This folio has been detached from a late 16th century manuscript copy of the Baburnama, or History of Babur. Babur was the founder of the Mughal empire, and a prince descended from the Central Asian conqueror Timur. He wrote a lively memoir in Eastern Turkish rather than Persian, the language of culture and literature of his time and place and which he also knew well. By the late 16th century, when his grandson Akbar had consolidated Mughal rule in the Indian subcontinent, few people at court were able to understand the memoirs in their original language, and Akbar commissioned a Persian translation. This was completed in 1589 by the great bibliophile Abdul-Rahim, who presented it to Akbar on the emperor's return from visiting Babur's tomb in Kabul. Many copies were made, some illustrated at the time by Akbar's artists. \r\nThis painting depicts an incident that took place in February 1507, when Babur and his companions travelled in bitter cold and through deep snow from Herat to Kabul. A group of Hazara tribesmen blocked the passage of Babur's advance force and began shooting arrows to prevent them continuing. Babur's army took the men captive, and he intended to execute them, but they were freed when one of Babur's  closest companions, Qasim Beg, showed them clemency. ","physicalDescription":"Painting, opaque watercolour on paper, <i>Baburnama</i> illustration, depicting Babur's forces raiding Hazara tribesmen near the Ghorband Valley in Afghanistan, in February 1507.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"opaque watercolour","id":"x35013"},{"text":"paper","id":"AAT14109"},{"text":"","id":""}],"techniques":[{"text":"painted","id":"AAT54216"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Painted in opaque watercolour on paper","categories":[{"text":"Paintings","id":"THES48917"},{"text":"War","id":"THES257202"},{"text":"Military","id":"THES250701"},{"text":"Bonita Trust Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project","id":"THES263148"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2013GB0929","2006BE9836"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"005","id":"THES403520"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"painting","id":"AAT33618"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Mughal Empire","id":"THES262021"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1590","earliest":"1585-01-01","latest":"1594-12-31"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Purchased from Messrs luzac & Co., 46 Great Russell Street","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"S.A.A Rizvi, in Religious and Intellectual History of the Muslims in Akbar's Reign (Delhi, 1975, 220-221), notes:\r\nThe Babur Nama, in Chaghta'i Turkish, a mine of information relating to Central Asia, Kabul and India, was of an absorbing interest for the Indian Timurids. The portions relating to the Indian period of Babur's autobiography had already been translated by his sadr, Zainu'd Din Khwafi, into Persian. In 994/1584 Mirza Payandah Hasan Ghaznavi commenced its translation at the insistence of Bihruz Khan (who was afterwards given the title of Naurang Khan by Akbar and died as a governor of Junahgarh in 1002/1593-94), but he could not translate the account beyond the first sixth and a part of the seventh year. Subsequently one Muhammad Quli Mughal HIsari continued the work and brought it down to 935/1528-29. Akbar ordered Mirza 'Abdu'r Rahim Khan-i Khanan to translate it again and he completed the work in 998/1589. He presented his translation to the Emperor as he was returning from Kabul on 24 November 1589. The Khan-i Khanan excelled all the previous translators.\n\nPurchased from Messrs luzac &amp; Co., 46 Great Russell Street. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project.\r\n\r\nRP 1912-6290M","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Painting, <i>Baburnama</i> illustration, Babur's force defeating Hazara tribesmen near Ghorband Valley in 1507, opaque watercolour on paper, Mughal, ca. 1590","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"The episode is described in the translation of the original memoirs by Wheeler M. Thackston, The Baburnama. Memoirs of Babur, Prince and Emperor, Oxford University Press, New York, in association with the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, 1996, 239-44. The text on the back of the painting corresponds to part of the text on p. 244, describing the rounding up of the Hazaras' horses and sheep to take them to Babur's encampment at Temur Beg's Langar, the intention to execute the captured Hazaras, and Qasim Beg's clemency. "}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"Babur's force defeating Hazara tribesmen near the Ghorband Valley in Afghanistan, in February 1507.","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"battle","id":"AAT185692"},{"text":"valley","id":"AAT8761"},{"text":"soldiers","id":"AAT185678"},{"text":"equestrians","id":"AAT188602"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"BABUR’S ARMY DEFEATING HAZARA TRIBESMEN\r\nIllustration to the Babur Nama, or Book of Babur\r\nOpaque watercolour and gold on paper\r\nMughal\r\nc. 1589\r\nIM.272-1913\r\nBabur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, wrote his memoirs in Eastern Turkish. By the late 16th century, few people at the Mughal court knew the language, so his grandson, Akbar, commissioned a translation into Persian. This was completed in 1589. In this painting, which probably comes from a presentation volume for Akbar, Babur’s forces attack Hazaras who had been trying to block their passage through the mountains","date":{"text":"01/08/2017","earliest":"2017-08-01","latest":"2017-08-01"}}],"partNumbers":["IM.272-1913"],"accessionNumberNum":"272","accessionNumberPrefix":"IM","accessionYear":1913,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","verso"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-12-05","recordCreationDate":"2006-07-27","availableToBook":true}}