Composite Horse lead by a Demon

Artist/Culture Persian (Seljuk, 1000–1199)

Artist/Culture Khurassan

Artist/Culture Herat

Date1550–1599

Mediumink, gold metallic paint, and watercolor on paper

Dimensions22.4 x 34.7 cm

ClassificationsNon-Western Miniatures

Credit LineJerome Wheelock Fund

Terms

Object number1935.18

DescriptionHorse is lead by gold bridle, body formed by combination of bodies of men, women and all kinds of animals. this demon is inspired by the rakshasas of the Buddhist frescoes of Central Asia - Herat
Label TextThis is an independant drawing (not a manuscript illustration), mounted on a gold illuminated border, either for inclusion as an album page or for sale by a dealer. There is no known textural reference for this subject and the emaning of the demon and the composite horse remain unknown. Drawings of such demons occur repeatedly in albums variously attributed to fifteenth century Herat and Tabriz. These earlier works probably provided models for the demon on this page. Composite animals in the form of camels, horses, and elephants, were popular in both Persia and India in the late sixteenth and into the seventeenth centuries.ProvenanceDemotte, New York NY

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