Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c10.s2.18

c10.s2.18

In Western Indian miniatures, however, the representations of birds and animals take a different character which represents the triumph of convention over realism. The animals are treated generally in a conventional and decorative manner, though the representations of the bull, the elephant and the deer have not lost, in spite of their archaic appearance, certain beauty of movements. The elephant, invariably represented as white, retains some of its former majesty and appears bedecked and painted ready to be mounted by the king, or to be led in a procession.⁴⁹ The bull, retaining some of its former realistic character, has often an exaggerated hump and a deformed mouth.⁵⁰ The deer retain their free movement⁵¹, and the monkey is still imbued with some of its mischievous and restless character.⁵² The massive horses evoke comparison with the horses in the equestrian Mughal portraits (Figs. 80, 99).⁵³ They differ from the horses represented in Persian painting at the end of the 15th century, but on the other hand they resemble the horses represented on the pottery of Rhages.⁵⁴ Horses with tapering necks and crocodile-like snouts are also found (Fig. 156),⁵⁵ and are reminiscent of the horses depicted in Persian painting of the 16th century. The tiger is treated conventionally (Fig. 155),⁵⁶ and its body is usually marked with lines to indicate the stripes. The geese seem to have been favourite with the painters of this period. They are not only seen perched on the housetops and trees, but also serve as a decorative pattern on the *sārīs*. The peacock is distinguished by the stylisation of its wings, legs and the beak elongated out of proportion (Fig. 149).⁵⁷ The parrot is distinguished by its bold and simple design. The serpent is treated in a realistic manner. In general, the ornamental treatment of the animals and birds tends to exaggerate, and, consequently, it eliminates the realism of the ancient school. This artistic conception of the fauna persists throughout the middle ages and even continues in the Rājpūt art of the 17th century and later.