Composite Paintings
Artworks from a unique genre from the collection of Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, India (16th to 20th century)
What is A Composite Painting?
A unique and interesting genre of art; a composite painting includes images that are made of parts from different beings, such as humans, animals, birds, marine beings and fishes. Composite painting and sculpture is prevalent in Indian art. It is seen in Persian artworks as well.
Check the painting alongside. What do we see? It depicts only women inside of the animal’s body. This is the Nari kunjar motif, commonly seen in composite elephants. Á composite painting which has only animals inside of the elephant is called a pashu kunjar. The pari or winged angel, another mythical being, is depicted frequently in Mughal and Deccan composite paintings riding on a composite beast.
The Mythical Creatures
Composite animal paintings from the Mughal and Deccani courts find their resonance in ancient Indian art. The Yali or vyala are mythical animals in Hinduism. A typical Yali has a lion's body and the trunk or tusks of an elephant, it could be part horse too. There are traces of composite animals in the seals found in the Indus valley regions too.
Yali images are found sculpted on the entrance walls of the temples, and the mythical lion is believed to protect and guard the temples and ways leading to the temple.
A winged angel, ''pari'', a mythical being (1800/1899)Salar Jung Museum
A Winged Angel or 'Peri'
A Deccani painting depicting a pari, a mythical being, she has colourful wings and wears an ornate head-dress, pearl jewellery and a diaphanous skirt. She is holding a tray with leaves in it.
Creators of the Fabulous
Many Indian schools of miniature paintings have produced composite paintings. The Mughal and Deccan seem to be prominent. There are interesting examples to note which help us understand this genre of painting which is way out of the ordinary.
The Rajput schools, Murshidabad and the Delhi school have also produced composite artworks. Pattachitra, a folk art form of Odisha also depicts composite animals.
Mysterious Meanings
In trying to understand the meanings behind these composite artworks one can clearly see that the artist is trying to convey more than one idea. One has to look deeper than what seems obvious.
The paintings depict a greater reality depicted within the body of the animal. Therein lies the composite-ness and yet an underlying unity of things. The artist presents an inclusive image of different ideas or concepts and leaves it to the beholder to figure it out.
The Salar Jung Museum Collection
The museum has an interesting collection of mythical creature depictions and composite animal paintings of India. There are lacquered wooden yalis from the late Vijayanagara period and wooden carved yalis from the 19th and 20th centuries. The composite paintings in the collection are mostly from the 17th to 20th centuries from the Deccan region of India including a Mughal one.
Composite horse (1750/1750)Salar Jung Museum
Composite Horse
A composite painting from Bijapur, Deccan, painted to represent a complex horse consisting of many animals and a horned demon holding the horse with a snake as the rein. Flower plants depicted on the foreground. Two flame shaped wings rise from the neck of the horse.
Composite figure of an antelope (1700/1799)Salar Jung Museum
Composite Figure of An Antelope
A miniature painting from the Deccan, maybe Bijapur, painted to represent an antelope containing number of animals juxtaposed within its body.
Composite figure (1900/1999)Salar Jung Museum
Composite Figure
A composite Deccan painting, reminiscent of the revered al-Buraq. A young prince over the head of a lady, two courtiers in conversation below him. The whole body is composed of figures of animals including fishes, birds comprise the feet.
Two compsite elephants (1800/1899)Salar Jung Museum
Composite Figures of Elephants
This painting from the Deccan, represents two elephants consisting of humans and many animals. Both are fighting each other. Two horned demons are the mahouts of the elephants.
Mythological Composite Figure
This Mughal painting depicts a winged angel or pari seated on a camel containing many animals. There is also a human figure within the animal. The pari seems to be traversing across a mixed landscape.
Composite figure (1700/1799)Salar Jung Museum
Composite Figure of An Elephant
An elephant consisting of many animals. Two figures, a king and his attendant are seated on the elephant. The king is connecting to an unidentifiable animal and his attendant is holding a fly-whisk shaped like a fish. Striking foliate border around this Deccani painting.
'Pari'' on a composte animal (1800/1899)Salar Jung Museum
'Peri' on A Composite Animal
This Deccani painting depicts a peri, an angelic figure, riding a horse composed of many animals, holding the reins which are actually snakes. She wears pearls, a colourful costume and golden headdress with aigrettes.
Lord Krishna Seated on A Peacock
Lord Krishna is seated on a peacock vehicle with two women inside of the peacock, maybe gopis or cowherd maidens who were besotted with him during his days at Vrindavan; a Deccani drawing.
Composite plant (1600/1699)Salar Jung Museum
Composite Plant
A Deccani miniature painting of a plant with shoots ending in animal heads; a composite plant, reminiscent of the wak-wak plant often depicted in Persian art.
'Peri' on A Composite Animal
A Deccani painting depicting a peri, a fairy on a horse which is composed of animal and human figures. She is traversing across a green, rocky landscape.
Text and Curation : Soma Ghosh
Photography : M. Krishnamurthy and Bahadur Ali
Research Assistance : Dinesh Singh and E. Rajesh
Special Thanks to Dr. A. Nagender Reddy, Director, Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, India.
References:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yali_(mythology) (accessed on 11.11.2021)
2. Goud, Balagouni Krishna, and M. V. S. Sarma. “Composite art: with special reference to the miniature paintings in Salar Jung Museum.” Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, vol. 73, Indian History Congress, 2012, pp. 416–20.
3. Sharma, M. (2015). The ‘composite’ jalacārin animals in ancient Indian texts and Ajanta. Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 96, pp 39–56.
4. Krishnamurthy, M(1985) Mythical animals in Indian Art , New Delhi : Abhinav Publications.pp 1-7
