Painting of a Composite Horse (Pashu Kunjar)

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Painting of a Composite Horse (Pashu Kunjar)

Place of OriginIndia, Pahari School

Dateabout 1820

Dimensions10 x 6 5/8 in. (25.4 x 16.7 cm)(Dealer)

MediumOpaque pigments and gold on wasli

ClassificationPaintings

Credit LineMrs. George W. Stevens Fund

Object number

2009.14

Not on View

DescriptionUnsigned Indian miniature on wasli paper (several thin sheets of paper glued together).

Label TextAnimals composed of intertwined human or animal figures were a popular subject in Indian miniature painting. These fantastical images may have alluded to the Hindu belief in the transmigration of souls—the reincarnated soul coming back again and again to inhabit both human and animal bodies. The image is painted on wasli, a type of paper invented by Indian miniature painters in which several sheets are glued together in layers and then polished to create a shiny, smooth surface for the paint.