A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c20.s3.10

c20.s3.10

But, although some of the Indo-Persian court paintings may be reproached as being highly-finished mechanical decorative designs rather than speaking works of art, the school produced many pictures entitled to high rank as truly artistic expressions of ideas. The perfect representations of animals and plants may be traced back to two principal sources, Indian and Chinese. The birds, palms, frogs, &c. in Basāwan's picture (*ante*, Pl. CXVII) may be truly described as inspired by the spirit of the Ajaṇṭā artists, while the elaborate ‘portraits’ of individual animals, like Mansūr's wonderful turkey-cock, are more Chinese than Indian. The horses, I think, mostly recall the Persian style. The elephants (*ante*, p. 484), of course, are Indian, and we need not doubt that throughout the ages there were always Indians who could draw elephants well.