Sultan ‘Ali ‘Adil Shah II Slays a Tiger
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.
Artwork Details
- Title: Sultan ‘Ali ‘Adil Shah II Slays a Tiger
- Artist: Attributed to the Bombay Painter (probably Abdul Hamid Naqqash)
- Date: ca. 1660
- Geography: Made in India, Deccan, Bijapur
- Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and probably lapis-lazuli pigment on paper
- Dimensions: Frame: 17 3/8 × 20 11/16 × 7/8 in. (44.1 × 52.5 × 2.2 cm)
Image: 8 7/16 × 12 3/8 in. (21.5 × 31.5 cm) - Classification: Codices
- Credit Line: Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions, Harris Brisbane Dick, and 2020 Benefit Funds; Howard S. and Nancy Marks, Lila Acheson Wallace, and Friends of Islamic Art Gifts; Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest; and funds from various donors, 2022
- Object Number: 2022.199
- Curatorial Department: Islamic Art
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Returned to lender
Bombay Painter
ca. 1660
late 17th century
second half 16th century
Kamal Muhammad
Chand Muhammad
ca. 1680
Chitarman
recto: dated 1627–28; verso: ca. 1530–50
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