Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah (1614-74) on Horseback
1635
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1635
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah (1614-74) on Horseback is a 1635 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a young ruler on a prancing white horse, dressed in gold-trimmed robes and a turban. This portrait was painted around the time Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah lost real power to the Mughal emperor. The quiet colors and gold details show both wealth and restraint—a ruler who still looks strong, even when he’s not. To see more royal portraits from this time, look up southern india, golconda.
Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah came to the throne of Golconda at the age of twelve and ruled until 1635 when the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan invaded the Deccan. Although Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah kept his position, he did so under conditions named by Shah Jahan that included the payment of tribute money, conversion to Sunni Islam, and the presence of a Mughal political agent at the Golconda court. In this watercolor portrait, executed with subdued colors that complement the gold accents, the young Sultan wears a diaphanous shawl over his richly embroidered robe. His horse is almost as lavishly…
Specks of gold are sprinkled around the edges of this portrait.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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