Visions of India in Early Modern Europe

This image of an Indian Rhino by the great Renaissance master Albrecht Durer was a milestone in illustrations of natural history in Europe. In 1514, the Sultan of Gujarat gifted the Portuguese viceroy in Goa an Indian Rhino, which he sent to king Manuel in Portugal. Arrival of a Rhino in Lisbon was a monumental event in European experience of the diversity of natural history. Durer created this woodcut in Nuremburg from a drawing that was sent to him from Lisbon. The image, though somewhat erroneous, went “viral” and Durer’s image was widely copied and incorporated by other artists into European images of exotic landscapes into the next century.

An enduring example of the use of exotic fauna and flora in the service of political power is this image of a South Indian elephant, attributed to the Italian Master Raphael. King Manuel of Portugal had several elephants from Kochi sent to his menagerie collection in Lisbon. One of them was an unusually light elephant, trained to perform, and Manuel sent the elephant and his Indian mahout to pope Leo X, as an inducement for political favors. The elephant, Hanno (a corruption of the Malayalam word ‘Aana’ for elephant) became a particular favorite of Leo X. Raphael’s portrait of the elephant and his mahout remains a testament to European fascination with the natural history of Asia in the 16th century.

In his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667) John Milton makes several references to India. He describes the forbidden fruit-bearing Fig Tree in the garden of Eden as “The fig tree, not the kind for fruit renowned, But such as, at this day to Indians known, In Malabar or Deccan spreads her arms…..” The unusual structure of The Indian Fig tree with its aerial roots in John Gerard’s Greate Herbal from 1569, may have inspired Milton to decide to place it in the Garden of Eden.

In the ‘Vision of Adam’ in Paradise Lost, John Milton refers to the cities of “Agra and Lahore of the great Mogul” as examples of the wonders of creation. Masterpieces of Indian Art, especially Mughal miniatures like this image of Emperor Shah-Jahan’s court (done prior to the publication of Paradise Lost), were collected by British and Dutch patrons and were available in European artistic circles in the early 17th century.

William Shakespeare has many references to the Indies, spices and voyages scattered throughout his works. The ‘Merchant of Venice,’ believed to be written at the end of the 16th century, refers to Antonio, a rich Venetian merchant whose “means are in supposition: he hath an argosy bound to Tripolis, another to the Indies ...” And Antonio fears the loss of his cargoes of spices and silks on “… dangerous rocks, which touching but my gentle vessel side would scatter all her spices on the stream, enrobe the roaring waters with my silks.”

“He does smile his face into more lines than is in the new map with the augmentation of the Indies. You have not seen such a thing as ’tis.”
- said by Maria in Act 3 Scene 2 of Shakespeare's 'The Twelfth Night'.

There are 24 existing drawings made by the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn, inspired by Mughal miniature paintings. Cross cultural artistic influences opened up new perspectives for European and Indian artists during the period: this drawing of Shah Jahan and his son is just one example. While the works closely follows the Mughal original, Rembrandt’s copy has looser strokes, and lack of ornamentation giving it a fresh perspective.

Study of geography and map making were essential tools of trade for voyages to far flung places, and scholars and artists related to these fields were highly respected individuals. This painting of a Geographer/mapmaker by the Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer shows the mapmaker in a contemplative pose, reflecting on the task at hand, with paper and tools of his trade. The geographer, the map in the making and the globe are the highlights of this painting.

Increasingly maps became decorative tools that indicated the erudition and wealth of the owner. In this painting, Young Woman With a Water Pitcher, also by Vermeer, the map on the wall (and the oriental carpet on the table), suggests the wealth, sophistication and global connections of the household.

Contact with India continues to influence artistic, cultural and philosophical aspects of global society. These influences are manifest in aspects of everyday life around the world in the 21st century.

This exhibition is part of a series on the India Spice Trade. Do explore the other sections here:

1. India: The Nexus of International Trade in the First Millennium

2. In Search of Knowledge and Riches: Communities in Indian Spice Trade

3. Europeans Enter Indian Spice Trade

4. Portuguese and Dutch Records of Indian Medicine