Description
The rich purple robe, brocaded sash, pearls, and emeralds that this figure wears proclaim his elite status. His plumed headdress and the nimbus that surrounds his profile mark him as a ruler. Holding a flower and resting against an orange bolster, he sits in leisure. While the trees behind him suggest a garden setting, the artist has painted the surroundings rather sparsely, focusing attention on the ruler. The dramatic, impressionistic sky suggests the painting’s origin in the Deccan (a region in south-central India), probably in or around the city of Hyderabad.
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