Sultan ‘Ali ‘Adil Shah II Slays a Tiger
ca. 1660
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
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
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
Accession Number
2022.199
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant tradition of Deccani miniature painting, *Sultan ‘Ali ‘il Shah II Slays Tiger* (ca. 1660), attributed to the Bombay Painter, a dramatic moment of royal heroism. This folio from what may be a codex depicts the sultan of the Bijapur Sultanate—ruler from 1558 1580—dispatching a ferocious tiger with bow and arrow. Such shikar (hunting) were emblematic of a sovereign's prowess, blending Islamic patronage with Indian artistic flair during the 17th century in the Deccan region of India. Rendered in ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and likely costly lapis-lazuli pigment on paper, the work...