Chapter Notes

The Deccani Schools of Painting

The Deccani School of Painting refers to a distinct and strong style of art that developed in the plateau region of southern India, beyond the Vindhya mountain range. This school was nurtured and expanded under various Sultans of the Deccan during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The main period of Deccani Painting is generally considered to be from the late sixteenth century until the 1680s, when the Mughals conquered the Deccan. However, its influence continued into the nineteenth century under the Asafiya dynasty and in the provincial courts of Rajas and Nawabs in the State of Hyderabad.

For a long time, art historians categorized Deccani painting under Indo-Persian art, considering its origins to be Middle Eastern, Safavid, Persian, Turkish, or even Mughal. While its uniqueness was acknowledged, it wasn't recognized as a full-fledged school of art. This changed as historians understood that the school was supported by a class of rulers with a specific political and cultural vision. These rulers hired artists and commissioned works that reflected their unique artistic tastes and needs.

The main centers that developed this sophisticated court painting were the kingdoms of Bijapur, Golconda, and Ahmadnagar.

Ahmadnagar School of Painting

The earliest known examples of Deccani painting come from Ahmadnagar, specifically from a volume of poems celebrating the reign of Hussain Nizam Shah I of Ahmadnagar (1553-1565). While many miniatures in this volume show battle scenes, the most artistically interesting ones are those depicting the queen and her marriage, which are known for their gorgeous colors and sensuous lines.

Influences and Styles:

• Female Figures and Costumes: The women in these paintings show a connection to the northern, pre-Mughal painting tradition that was popular in Malwa and Ahmedabad.
  • They wear a modified northern costume with a choli (bodice) and long braided pigtails ending in a tassel.
  • A southern influence is seen in the long scarf worn around the body below the hips, similar to what is seen in the Lepakshi frescoes.
  • In some Ragamala paintings, the women's hair is rolled up in a bun at the nape of the neck, another feature similar to the Lepakshi murals.
• Male Costumes: The male costumes are also northern in style. The jama with pointed tails is often seen in early Akbari miniatures. The small pagri (turban) is also similar to those in the earliest Akbari paintings.
• Color and Landscape: The color palette is richer and more brilliant than that of northern manuscripts from the Mughal court. A strong Persian influence is visible in the landscapes, particularly the use of a high circular horizon and gold sky.

Bijapur School of Painting

The Bijapur school was patronized by rulers like Ali Adil Shah I (1558-1580) and his successor Ibrahim II (1580-1627). Ibrahim II was a great patron of art and literature, an expert in Indian music, and the author of a book on the subject called Nauras-nama.

A key example from this school is a richly illustrated encyclopedia known as the Nujum al-Ulum (1570). This volume contains 876 miniatures illustrating subjects from weapons and utensils to constellations.

Influences and Styles:

• Female Figures: The women are depicted as tall and slender, wearing south Indian dress, similar to those in Ragamala paintings.
• Ottoman Turkish Influence: Bijapur had close connections with Turkey, and the astronomical illustrations in the Nujum al-Ulum may have been derived from Ottoman Turkish manuscripts.
• Indian and Persian Blend: The Ragamala paintings show Indian connections with echoes of the Lepakshi style. They are known for their brilliant coloring and simple, vigorous compositions. A painting called "The Throne of Prosperity" shows a blend of influences:
  • The basic structure recalls wood-carved doorways from Gujarati homes or Deccan temples.
  • The coloring and arabesques on the throne are in the Islamic Persian tradition.
  • Stylized plants in the painting are similar to margin decorations in early sixteenth-century Gujarati manuscripts.

Yogini

The theme of the Yogini is found in Deccani painting. A Yogini is a person who believes in yoga, leads a disciplined life of physical and emotional training, and is known for renouncing worldly attachments.

The painting of a Yogini from Bijapur has several distinct features:

• It has a vertical composition, with the tall figure of the Yogini complemented by white structures at the top.
• The Yogini is shown preoccupied with a myna bird, as if in conversation.
• She is adorned with jewelry, and her hair is in a bun that elongates her figure.
• Long scarves swirl rhythmically around her body, which is set in an exquisite landscape with beautiful flora.

Golconda School of Painting

Golconda became an independent state in 1512 and, by the end of the sixteenth century, was the wealthiest of the Deccan kingdoms. This wealth came from brisk trade in iron and cotton goods from ports on the east coast and, later, from the discovery of diamonds.

This prosperity is reflected in the paintings, which often feature characters wearing elaborate gold jewellery. The art of Golconda became popular in Europe after Dutch merchants carried portraits of its sultans there in the late seventeenth century.

Characteristics of Golconda Paintings:

• Early Works: The earliest identified Golconda miniatures (bound in a Diwan of Hafiz) show court scenes of a young ruler enthroned, holding a long, straight Deccani sword. These paintings suggest no Mughal influence.
• Lavish Use of Gold: The paintings are lavishly enriched with gold, often set against a deep azure sky.
• Unique Colors: The color purple is used amply, and sometimes animals are painted in unusual colors, like blue foxes.
• Architecture: The paintings often feature symmetrical and decorative architecture with multiple registers of flat screens.
• Later Works: A portrait of Muhammad Qutb Shah (1611-1626) shows increased sophistication and skill, with some reference to Mughal painting in the rendering of drapery.
• Landscapes: A peculiar feature is the coloring of skies in separate bands of gold and blue. The trees are of a Deccani type, richly colored with a tinted edge, and plants are often silhouetted against dark foliage.

Composite Horse

This painting from Golconda, dated to the early seventeenth century, is a fascinating and surreal work of art.

• Subject: The central figure is a galloping horse formed by multiple intertwined human figures.
• Composition: The horse is superimposed on a decorated background that includes flying cranes, lions, Chinese-style clouds, and plants with large leaves, all of which add to the surreal quality.
• Use of Space: While most elements appear to be flying, the painting is anchored by rocky formations in the two bottom corners, creating an interesting dislocation of the sense of space.
• Color Palette: The painting uses a limited color scheme, mostly in shades of brown with some blue.

Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II hawking

This painting is noted for its extraordinary energy and sensibility.

• Subject: It depicts Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur on a galloping horse, engaged in hawking.
• Color: The painting uses brilliant red on the horse's limbs and tail and on the Sultan's flowing garment. The background features a dense forest with deep olive green, emerald green, and cobalt blue, set against a sunlit golden-blue sky.
• Focal Point: The white hawk and the delicately portrayed face of the sultan are at the center of the narrative.
• Influences: Persian influence is visible in the way the horse and rocks are painted, while the dense landscape and plants in the foreground are of native inspiration. The energy of the galloping horse activates the entire scene.

Ragini Pathamsika of Raga Hindola

This painting, dating to around 1590-95 and likely from Bijapur, is an important example of a Ragamala painting, which visually represents Indian musical modes.

• Subject: It depicts three women in and around a pavilion. The central figure is a musician playing what appears to be a veena, while the other two accompany her with the rhythmic sway of their bodies.
• Persian Influence: This is seen in the arabesque decoration on the two domes in the upper part of the painting.
• Composition: The figures are beautifully dressed and bejeweled. A small, dark elephant with a raised trunk in the left-hand corner adds visual interest and breaks the architectural structure.
• Style: The colors are vibrant, with red being dominant. The figures are stylized, and their forms are emphasized with a dark outline, a technique also seen in the ancient Ajanta murals.

Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah

This is an important royal portrait from Bijapur, now in the collection of the National Museum, New Delhi.

• Subject: It shows Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah enthroned.
• Symbolism: The Sultan holds a sword in one hand, which symbolizes his political sovereignty or power. A halo around his head depicts his divinity, a common feature in royal portraiture to elevate the ruler's status.

Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusrau

This is a provincial painting from Hyderabad, Deccan.

• Subject: It depicts the revered thirteenth-century Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya listening to music played by his famous disciple, the poet and scholar Hazrat Amir Khusrau.
• Theme: This theme remains a popular part of Indian culture, as qawwali composed by Khusrau is still performed at the saint's dargah (shrine) in New Delhi.
• Style: The painting is described as naive and basic, lacking the technical sophistication of a court painting. However, it is valued for its charming and narrative quality.

Chand Bibi playing Polo

This painting depicts Chand Bibi, the Queen of Bijapur, who was a revered and accomplished ruler known for resisting Mughal expansion under Emperor Akbar.

• Subject: The queen is shown playing chaugan (equestrian polo), which was a popular royal sport at the time.
• Style: The painting is considered to be provincial and from a much later period. It is part of the collection of the National Museum, New Delhi.