Sultan ‘Ali ‘Adil Shah II Slays a Tiger
Bombay Painter
ca. 1660 · Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and probably lapis-lazuli pigment on paper · Islamic Art
This painting is one of only a few known portraits of Sultan ‘Ali ‘Adil Shah II of Bijapur, India (r. 1656–72). It depicts the ruler engaged in a demonstration of his hunting prowess-- iconography meant to illustrate his role as a strong leader. In reality the sultan was met with continual infiltrations by the rival Mughals and Marathas, and eventually left the affairs of the state to his minister. This fragmentary painting captures a moment when the sultan used his patronage of the arts to project an image of himself as an ideal and convincing ruler.
- Artist
- Bombay Painter
- Date
- ca. 1660
- Medium
- Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and probably lapis-lazuli pigment on paper
- Department
- Islamic Art
- Credit line
- Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions and 2020 Benefit Funds; Howard S. and Nancy Marks Gift; Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest; The Mossavar-Rahmani Fund for Iranian Art and funds from various donors, 2022
