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Lot Essay
This is a significant portrait of Sultan Abu’l Hasan Qutb Shah of Golconda (r. 1672-1687). In the figures of the sultan, his minister and page, as well as the grassy foreground, the composition accords with the style of Golconda painting at the end of the 17th century. But the arbour above, through which grows a vine and a flowering shrub, is an unusual feature and marks it out as a rare work. It also contains elements of symbolism that may reflect Abu’l Hasan’s character and rule.
There are several other near contemporary portraits depicting Sultan Abu’l Hasan wearing similar garments and with a similar face to the present portrait, although in those he is bearded and has a slightly fuller and more mature physiognomy. These include examples in the Victoria and Albert Museum (IS.57-1949), the British Museum (1974,0617,0.11.21), the Musée du Louvre, Paris (Inv. MA.12564), the Brooklyn Museum of Art (86.227.50), and the San Diego Museum of Art (1990.491, see Zebrowski 1983, p.190, fig.156). In the Louvre and British Museum examples he wears a gold floral coat with a Persian-style fur collar of very similar design to his coat here, and in the Louvre example he holds a flower in his hand, while in the San Diego example he again wears a similar coat and is also portrayed in the act of smelling a flower. His youthful face in our portrait compared with the others cited above would suggest that the present work is slightly earlier, perhaps produced during the 1670s. Goetz states that the painting was acquired by Maharaja Anup Singh of Bikaner in 1689, providing a terminus quem for its production (Goetz 1950, p.177). For a discussion of Golconda painting of the period, see Zebrowski 1983, pp.189-208.
Canby pointed out that, despite the negative propaganda spread by the Mughals, Abu’l Hasan was a cultured, tolerant and far-sighted ruler (Canby 1998, no.119, p.160). He was known as Tana Shah – the “King of Taste”. He was a poet and a follower of the spiritual guide Shaykh Raju. He was accepting of the Hindu community in his realm, appointing several Hindus to senior roles at court and forging a treaty with the Maratha leader Shivaji. It was these aspects of his reign, as well as the fact that he and his family were Shi’i, that offended the Mughals and, having long campaigned in the Deccan, Aurangzeb’s forces besieged and finally took Golconda in 1687, deposing Abu’l Hasan and imprisoning him. He died in 1699.
The scene contains several potentially symbolic details, such as the sword and mandil being held by his minister, symbolising his power authority, the gold box of paan being offered to him by his page, which may signal his openness to Hindusim, and the fact that he is smelling a flower, perhaps an indication of his cultural and poetic sensibilities. It is possible that in this portrait of him in his youth he is visually displaying aspects of his personality and approach to rulership.
There are several other near contemporary portraits depicting Sultan Abu’l Hasan wearing similar garments and with a similar face to the present portrait, although in those he is bearded and has a slightly fuller and more mature physiognomy. These include examples in the Victoria and Albert Museum (IS.57-1949), the British Museum (1974,0617,0.11.21), the Musée du Louvre, Paris (Inv. MA.12564), the Brooklyn Museum of Art (86.227.50), and the San Diego Museum of Art (1990.491, see Zebrowski 1983, p.190, fig.156). In the Louvre and British Museum examples he wears a gold floral coat with a Persian-style fur collar of very similar design to his coat here, and in the Louvre example he holds a flower in his hand, while in the San Diego example he again wears a similar coat and is also portrayed in the act of smelling a flower. His youthful face in our portrait compared with the others cited above would suggest that the present work is slightly earlier, perhaps produced during the 1670s. Goetz states that the painting was acquired by Maharaja Anup Singh of Bikaner in 1689, providing a terminus quem for its production (Goetz 1950, p.177). For a discussion of Golconda painting of the period, see Zebrowski 1983, pp.189-208.
Canby pointed out that, despite the negative propaganda spread by the Mughals, Abu’l Hasan was a cultured, tolerant and far-sighted ruler (Canby 1998, no.119, p.160). He was known as Tana Shah – the “King of Taste”. He was a poet and a follower of the spiritual guide Shaykh Raju. He was accepting of the Hindu community in his realm, appointing several Hindus to senior roles at court and forging a treaty with the Maratha leader Shivaji. It was these aspects of his reign, as well as the fact that he and his family were Shi’i, that offended the Mughals and, having long campaigned in the Deccan, Aurangzeb’s forces besieged and finally took Golconda in 1687, deposing Abu’l Hasan and imprisoning him. He died in 1699.
The scene contains several potentially symbolic details, such as the sword and mandil being held by his minister, symbolising his power authority, the gold box of paan being offered to him by his page, which may signal his openness to Hindusim, and the fact that he is smelling a flower, perhaps an indication of his cultural and poetic sensibilities. It is possible that in this portrait of him in his youth he is visually displaying aspects of his personality and approach to rulership.