"Akbar Hunting with Cheetahs", Folio from a Manuscript of the Akbarnama. Folio from the Davis Album 1579 - 1629

Curator: Right, so, what are your initial thoughts on this piece? It's "Akbar Hunting with Cheetahs," a folio from the Akbarnama manuscript dating from 1579 to 1629. Watercolor on paper, incredible detail, housed right here at the Met. Editor: Overwhelming, in a good way! It’s teeming with life. The eye doesn't quite know where to land first—from the elephants at the top to those racing cheetahs, it all feels incredibly energetic. There's almost too much to process. Curator: It’s a document of power, definitely. A glorification of the Mughal emperor's prowess, if you will. Think of it as visual propaganda showing not just his hunting skills, but by extension, his fitness to rule. All that dynamism is calculated. Editor: Calculated, sure, but also deeply symbolic. The cheetahs, trained for the hunt, representing dominion over the natural world. But let’s also think about the historical context – hunting wasn't just sport; it was entwined with political ritual, expressions of royal authority, displays of Mughal might. Even today, those power structures… they persist. Curator: Oh, without a doubt. Though looking at the cheetahs… I can't help but feel a twinge of something for the animals, elegant as they are. Does their use in this spectacle say something about humanity’s eternal dance of admiration and exploitation? Is my discomfort appropriate, considering they were trained predators? Editor: I think that tension is valid, essential even. It pulls us into this piece. Power and exploitation were baked into the system in ways difficult for our contemporaries to process or change, and this rendering of it is beautiful yet complicated. I find that very… well, evocative. It really stirs things within, doesn't it? Curator: It does. The vibrancy and detail are astonishing. But that unease makes me want to learn even more about the human stories – and the animal stories – behind its creation. Editor: Agreed. Art doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and unpacking its connections to power, nature, and society illuminates both past and present for me. Makes this painting so vital!