Practicing Success
Paintings from Bijapur in the sixteenth century have a richly illustrated encyclopaedia known as the Nujum al-Ulum dated 1570. |
Who were the primary patrons of the school of Bijapur, as mentioned in the passage? |
Ali Adil Shah II and Ibrahim I Ali Adil Shah I and Ibrahim II Shah Jahan and Nujum al-Ulum Nujum al-Ulum and Sher Shah Suri |
Ali Adil Shah I and Ibrahim II |
Answer: Ali Adil Shah I and Ibrahim II The school of Bijapur was patronised by Ali Adil Shah I (1558–1580) and his successor Ibrahim II (1580–1627), both patrons of art and literature. The latter was also an expert in Indian music and author of a book on this subject, Nauras-nama. He was the owner of Nujum al-Ulum manuscript and might have commissioned the Ragamala series in the 1590s. Bijapur had a close connection with Turkey and astronomical illustrations in Nujum al-Ulum may have been derived from Ottoman Turkish manuscripts. The Ragamala are, as we have seen, Indian in their connections, with definite echoes of the Lepakshi style. They exemplify the luxuriant aestheticism of the Adil Shah court in their daring and brilliantly successful colouring and vigour of simplified compositions. |