"Courtiers with a Riderless Horse", Folio from a Manuscript of the Akbarnama. Folio from the Davis Album 1579 - 1629

Abu'l Fazl created this folio, "Courtiers with a Riderless Horse," for the Akbarnama manuscript. Here, the riderless horse immediately grabs our attention. Across cultures, the riderless horse has appeared as a potent symbol – often linked to mourning a leader's death, a loss of direction, or even a disruption in the natural order. In ancient Greek funeral processions, similar steeds were paraded, representing a hero's spirit ascending to the heavens. Consider, too, the recurring motif of processions. Whether in ancient Roman triumphs or Renaissance religious parades, processions serve to project power. Here, in this Mughal context, however, the procession lacks its central figure. The collective subconscious, laden with the weight of history, might interpret the scene as fraught with tension and uncertainty. The image engages us on a deeper, subconscious level. Symbols like these display a powerful and cyclical progression, resurfacing, evolving, and taking on new meanings across different times.