Hamzanama

Akbar commissioned the manuscript to visualize the adventurous legends of Amir Hamza, an Islamic heroic figure traditionally identified as the Prophet Muhammad's uncle. Production occupied a large Mughal imperial workshop during the second half of the 16th century.

The original project reportedly contained about 1,400 paintings arranged across 14 volumes. Only a fraction survives, with individual folios now dispersed among institutions such as Vienna's MAK and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Its unusually large illustrations were produced on prepared cotton cloth, making them suitable for display during oral storytelling. Text was generally written on the reverse, allowing a narrator to read while presenting the painted scene to an audience.

The pictures combine Persianate workshop traditions with Indian colors, landscapes, faces, and an unusually forceful sense of movement. That hybrid style reflects the multinational group of artists assembled at Akbar's Mughal court.