Babur receiving the capitulation of Kabul, 1504 from the Akbarnama By the Mughal court artist Mahesha. Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art During the 1580s, the Emperor Akbar became increasingly interested in illustrations of historical or natural history subject matter, and these replaced his earlier concern for such tales of fantasy as the Hamza-nama. Among Akbar's projects was an illustrated historical account of his own reign, and this began by discussing the events preceding his birth. Babur, shown here, was his grandfather and the first Mughal emperor. Previous       Next Mughal Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers in the Akbarnama