Where Dancers and Paswans were painted in great number ?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 3:
Golconda, under the Qutb Shahi dynasty (16th-17th centuries), is universally recognized as the Deccani art center that excelled in painting scenes of courtly pleasure, which prominently included numerous and detailed depictions of dancers, musicians, and Paswans (court women or courtesans). The Qutb Shahi rulers were great patrons of the arts, and the paintings from Golconda are known for their distinctively tall and slender female figures, vibrant color palette, and a focus on secular, genre subjects. These paintings often captured the opulent lifestyle of the court, where dancing girls and female attendants were essential elements of royal entertainment, hence their frequent and elaborate portrayal. This emphasis on elegant, sensuous, and numerous court ladies makes Golconda the most fitting answer.

The incorrect option is 1:
Hyderabad painting developed later, primarily after the fall of the Golconda kingdom to the Mughals in 1687, under the Asaf Jahi dynasty. While the style inherited certain Deccani traits, the focus of the Hyderabad school shifted towards more formal and individualistic portraiture of the Nizam and his nobility, influenced by late Mughal aesthetics. Although dancers were painted, they do not appear with the same prolificacy or as a defining genre theme as they do in the earlier, more vibrant Golconda period. Therefore, the art from Hyderabad is not chiefly characterized by the "great number" of these specific subjects.

The incorrect option is 2:
Ahmednagar represents the earliest phase of Deccani painting, flourishing in the late 16th century. The most famous early work is the Tarif-i-Hussain Shahi manuscript and the Nujum al-Ulum. The major subject matter in this school centers on early royal portraiture and illustrations of astronomical and occult texts, such as the personification of planets and constellations. This style is not primarily associated with the abundant depiction of generic court dancers and Paswans in pleasure scenes, but rather with historical and cosmological themes.

The incorrect option is 4:
Bijapur, under the Adil Shahi Sultans, produced some of the most luxurious and imaginative Deccani art. Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II was a major patron, and works from this school are noted for their rich gold work, elaborate architecture, and distinctive aesthetic. While Bijapur paintings depict lavish court life, the school is more famous for its poetic portraits, especially those of Ibrahim Adil Shah II himself, and the Nujum al-Ulum manuscript, which was also found here. The sheer quantity and stylistic focus on the genre of dancing women and Paswans are not as central to the Bijapur school's overall identity as they are to Golconda.