English: This sensitive portrait by the artist Hashem depicts the ruler of Golconda, Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah (r. 1611-1625). Hashem was an artist in Mughal royal service, and was probably in the entourage of Shah Jahan when the prince was leading the Mughal armies against the rulers of the Deccan in the 1620s. During this period Shah Jahan was in rebellion against his father, the emperor Jahangir, and formed brief alliances with Deccani enemies of the Mughals. Hashem remained in Shah Jahan's service after his accession as emperor in 1628. The painting was given ornate floral borders that probably date to about 1625-30, and a page of calligraphy also with floral borders was added to the reverse, to create a folio for an album.