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Portrait of Abu'l Hasan, the Last Sultan of Golconda | musefully
Minuchihr. Portrait of Abu'l Hasan, the Last Sultan of Golconda, late 17th-early 18th century. Opaque watercolors and gold on paper, sheet: 11 3/4 x 7 5/8 in. (29.8 x 19.4 cm)
image: 8 x 5 1/4 in. (20.3 x 13.3 cm). Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.227.50. No known copyright restrictions.
Portrait of Abu'l Hasan, the Last Sultan of Golconda
late 17th-early 18th century
Minuchihr
Asian Art
This portrait depicts Abu\'l Hasan, the last sultan of the Qutb-Shahi dynasty of Golconda, a kingdom in the Deccan (central southern India) that was much celebrated for its refusal to bow to the Mughal emperors. The sultan is shown with a radiant gold nimbus, a convention of Deccani portraits of rulers. The Mughals finally conquered Golconda after a long siege, and Abu\'l Hasan spent the last 17 years of his life in confinement. It is likely that this portrait was created after his death; it clearly celebrates him as a great ruler rather than as a defeated captive. This painting has lost the decorative margin papers that once framed it, leaving the blank edges of the page visible.