Drawing of Composite Horse and Rider, Probably Krishna and Gopis

Composites are clever subjects found in both Persian and Indian miniature painting that show an animal shape formed of contorted figures of people or other animals. In Rajput painting, this is often an image of the god Krishna riding a horse that is a composite of the milkmaids, or gopis, who were Krishna’s lovers and devotees. This drawing, however, lacks some of the details that would help make a firm identification of the subject.

If you look very closely, you can see tiny pin-prick holes all along those final lines. This is a technique called “pouncing,” used to transfer a drawing. A painter lays the drawing on the final surface and then pats a small bag filled with coal dust on the drawing, forcing the dust through the small holes and leaving an outline of the composition on the new surface, to be finished with lines and colors.