In this masterfully composed painting, an elaborate encampment stands on the shores of a rushing river. The tented city is the chosen site for a reception to bestow a robe of honor to the Afghan Da’vud Khan for accepting Mughal sovereignty. Standing in the center of an enclosure, Da’vud Khan puts on a sumptuous gold coat as a sign of allegiance to his host, Mu’min Khan. The quality and fabric of a robe of honor were relative to the status of the recipient and the importance of his relationship to the donor.
Da’ud Khan Receives a Robe of Honor from Mun’im Khan
From a copy of the Akbarnama (Book of Akbar) by Abu’l-Fazl (d. 1602)
Attributed to Hiranand
India, Mughal period, ca. 1596–1600
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Purchase–Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Freer Gallery of Art
F1952.31