To which tradition of painting does the Golconda portrait of Muhammad Qutb Shah seated on a diwan make adequate reference?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Mughal painting
Option (1) Ottoman painting — Incorrect. Ottoman Turkish manuscripts may lie behind the astronomical pictures of the Bijapur Nujum al-Ulum, not this portrait.
Option (2) Persian painting — Incorrect. Persian influence is named for the high circular horizon and gold sky of Deccani paintings, not for this portrait.
Option (3) Bukhara painting — Incorrect. The Bukhara idiom marks the seven miniatures of the manuscript in the Bankipore Library, not this portrait.
Option (4) Mughal painting — Correct. The portrait keeps the strict symmetry of the 1590 pages, yet makes adequate reference to Mughal painting, seen in the plastic rendering of the drapes.
NCERT (2026-27): “Golconda School of Painting …There is a portrait of Muhammad Qutb Shah (1611–1626) as he sits on a diwan early in his reign. He wears this typical Golconda dress and an elegant tight-fitting cap. The composition has gained increased sophistication and skill, while the strict symmetry of the 1590 pages is retained. One may say there is adequate reference to Mughal painting. We see a marked plastic rendering, especially, in the drape of the courteseans’ and the groom’s attire.” |