Babur receives booty and Humayun’s salute after the victory over Sultan Ibrahim in 1526, from an Akbar-nama (Book of Akbar) of Abu’l Fazl (Indian, 1551–1602) (c. 1596–1597 or 1604): Art, History and D

Babur receives booty and Humayun’s salute after the victory over Sultan Ibrahim in 1526, from an Akbar-nama (Book of Akbar) of Abu’l Fazl (Indian, 1551–1602) (c. 1596–1597 or 1604) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The first Mughal emperor Babur sits enthroned as men bring gifts and sacks of tribute to mark a successful expansion of his territories. Emblematic of his role in leading the victory, his son Humayun wears a wine-and-gold robe of honor despite the Delhi heat in late April. Marking the royal space are a carpet and canopy painted with a lapis lazuli ground. The floral vine motif called arabesque swirls around a central lobed medallion. These delicate patterns are inspired from Persian manuscript illuminations. Contemporary historians describe awnings of gold embroidery, brocade, and velvet along with colorful carpets resembling a beautiful flower bed.

Object facts

• Title: Babur receives booty and Humayun’s salute after the victory over Sultan Ibrahim in 1526, from an Akbar-nama (Book of Akbar) of Abu’l Fazl (Indian, 1551–1602)
• Date: c. 1596–1597 or 1604
• Culture: Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)
• Type: Painting
• Technique: Gum tempera and gold on paper
• Dimensions: Page: 42 x 27.6 cm (16 9/16 x 10 7/8 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art - Mughal
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 2013.308

A detail from the museum

A clerk records the amount of tribute that Babur received from conquered kings.

Collection credit

Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection

Further reading listed by the museum

• "Permanent Collection Installations." Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 64, no. 1 (2024): Cover, 18–19.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.