Indian. An Emaciated Horse, mid 17th century. Ink and light color wash on paper, sheet: 2 13/16 x 4 9/16 in. (7.1 x 11.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. George Dupont Pratt, 40.372 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 40.372_acetate_bw.jpg)
Indian. An Emaciated Horse, mid 17th century. Ink and light color wash on paper, sheet: 2 13/16 x 4 9/16 in. (7.1 x 11.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. George Dupont Pratt, 40.372 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 40.372_PS2.jpg)
An Emaciated Horse
Asian Art
In Sufi poetry, the ego is often represented by the metaphor of a horse (as seen here) that is starved and humiliated, suggesting the training necessary to transport its rider (the soul) to the desired destination. This theme, which was meant to remind viewers that the physical world is transient while the soul is eternal, was a popular subject in sixteenth-century Iran and seems to have spread to India in the seventeenth century. It may have been inspired by similar depictions in China, where the image of the horse was often used to represent humans and their behavior. Such images probably reached the Islamic world after the Mongol invasions of the thirteenth century.
CULTURE
Indian
MEDIUM
Ink and light color wash on paper
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS
- Possible place made: Deccan, India
- Possible place made: Northern region, India
DATES
mid 17th century
DIMENSIONS
sheet: 2 13/16 x 4 9/16 in. (7.1 x 11.6 cm)
image: 2 7/8 x 3 15/16 in. (7.3 x 10.0 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Asian Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
40.372
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Mrs. George Dupont Pratt
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Indian. An Emaciated Horse, mid 17th century. Ink and light color wash on paper, sheet: 2 13/16 x 4 9/16 in. (7.1 x 11.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. George Dupont Pratt, 40.372 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 40.372_acetate_bw.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 40.372_acetate_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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