INDIA, DECCAN, 17TH CENTURY

Ibrahim Adil Shah II ruled in the Deccan Plains of Bijapur. Like his Mughal contemporary in the north, Akbar, he was tolerant of non-Islamic traditions and commissioned numerous works with Hindu themes. With a mystical bearing, he also achieved renown as a poet and great patron of the arts. Compare to a posthumous portrait discussed by P. Pal, Indian Painting, 1993 p. 331, where the author states that the absence of the rudraksha (Hindu beads often depicted on portraits of Adil Shah II) and idealization of the face were the result of greater Mughal influence in the region, whereas the proportions of Adil Shah's figure and the swing of his sash are reminiscent of a well-known early 17th century portrait in The British Museum attributed to the Bodeleian painter, cf. M. Zebrowski, Deccani Painting, 1983, pl. VIII.