Painting

This unusual and energetic painting shows a princess and women hunting on horseback. The princess is identified by an inscription as the daughter of 'Ali 'Adil Shah, ruler of Bijapur (presumably the second of that name, who reigned 1656-1672). Bijapur was the capital of one of the Sultanates of the Deccan in southern India, until absorbed into the Mughal empire in 1686. The princess is chasing a black buck and two does. Hares run from two male servants in the foreground. There are panels of verse above and below the painting, and on the back there is a drawing showing an ascetic with disciples, mounted with two sheets of verse.