of both the natural and mystical worlds, including anatomical diagrams.
India, probably Rajasthan, c. 1800.
The opening illustration shows Indra (the King of Gods) making a request to Shalihotra, with a depiction of the elephant Airavata (the God's personal vehicle) and the divine horse with clipped wings appearing in the half of the image.
Single volume, decorated manuscript on Indian laid paper, containing 26 illustrated leaves depicting categories and ranking of horses from the natural and mystic worlds, as well as anatomical diagrams, 76 leaves plus an additional 30 blank leaves at the end of the volume (together 106 leaves, bound into one single gathering), plus a free endpaper at the front and back, 155 x 220 mm; text in single column, most equine illustrations depicting two horses per page, text mostly with 11 lines black devanagari script with highlighted sections in red, copied into three sections by three distinct hands, between double red vertical rules and black marginal numbers, first 16ff. illustrated with horses, executed in a high quality; in bound with red cloth covered boards, in a brown presentation box
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