Durbar of Emperor Akbar Shah II

The penultimate emperor Akbar Shah II (r.1806-1837) presides at a durbar in the Red Fort at Delhi. Powerless and impoverished, he was permitted few privileges by the British but could still indulge in court ceremonial. This composition is known in a number of versions. There is growing European influence in the modified recession of the durbar hall and the way some faces are in three–quarter view instead of profile.

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