A Sun-bearing Peri Rides a Composite Lion
A Sun-bearing Peri Rides a Composite Lion
Mughal, Kashmir
Probably third quarter of the 18th century
343 x 222 mm
Purchased in 1935
MS M.787
Item description:
Astrology was an important part of Islamic culture; this miniature actually represents Sol in Leo, the conjunction of the sun with the constellation Leo. What is unusual, however, is that the lion is a composite drawing, or symplegma, made up of many intertwined animals, human beings, and monsters. Sol in Leo also appears in MS M.788, an astrological treatise purchased with the leaf, but in that image the lion is not composite.
Sol in Leo.