Procession of Abdullah Qutb Shah

This painting depicts the military procession of the Golconda court of Abdullah Qutb Shah (reigned 1626–72) in the Deccan in south India. This is a public display of pomp and pageantry, with bearers of flags, incense-burners, and soldiers – some holding swords, some with lances and others with guns. Abdullah Qutb Shah famously surrendered his empire to the Mughals in 1636, rendering all this military pageantry slightly ironic.