A ruler receives a petition

The image of a courtier presenting a petition to a ruler, or of a ruler reading a petition, is a feature that runs through a number of Bijapur paintings, from the early period of 'Ali Adilshah (r.1558-80) until his namesake 'Ali 'Adil Shah II (r.1652-72) (Navina Najat Haidar and Marika Sardar, Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700, exhibition catalogue, New York, 2015, no.24, pp.88-89; no.60, pp.140-141, and no.67, pp.148-9). A Mughal copy of a very similar Bijapur scene, a courtier presenting a petition to Sultan Ibrahim 'Adil Shah, is in the Indian Museum, Kolkata (Mark Zebrowski, Deccani Painting, London, 1983, pl.51, p.77).

It is interesting to note that the date on this painting is the same as that on the painting depicting 'Ali 'Adil Shah II and Ikhlas Khan, lot 109 in this sale. Both dates are just after the Mughal conquest of the last stronghold in the Deccan, Adoni, under the army led by Maharaja Anup Singh of Bikaner, with the resulting substantial booty coming back to Bikaner in the following years.