The Real Thing

Below are details taken from some of the paintings on view in this exhibition. Each detail is matched with a photograph of a living animal, which is identified by its common name and Latin name. Please note, however, that the identifications of the animals in the paintings are only speculative. Artists did not usually provide the names of the animals they included in their works, and they often rendered them in abstract or fanciful ways.

Fish and Reptiles
The Goddess Ganga	Gharial Latin: Gavialis gangeticus Photograph courtesy of Will Parson
The Goddess Ganga	Indian Carp Latin: Labeo rohita Photograph courtesy of Jean-Francois Helias
Birds
Shiva and Parvati at Night	Indian ring-necked parrot Latin: Psittacula krameri borealis Photograph courtesy of David Behrens
Radha and Krishna beside a Lake at Sunset	Indian cormorant Latin: Phalacrocorax fuscicollis Photograph courtesy of David Behrens
Radha and Krishna beside a Lake at Sunset	Sarus crane Latin: Grus antigone Photograph courtesy of David Behrens
Radha and Krishna beside a Lake at Sunset	White-breasted kingfisher Latin: Halcyon smyrnensis Photograph courtesy of David Behrens
Mammals
Krishna Holds Aloft Mount Govardhana	Zebu (Brahman) bull Latin: Bos taurus or Bos indicus
The Great Goddess Durga Slaying the Buffalo Demon	Asian water buffalo Latin: Bubalus bubalis Photograph courtesy of Todd Whaley
The Monkeys and Bears Build a Bridge to Lanka	Hanuman langur Latin: Semnopithecus entellus Photograph courtesy of Mikhail Esteves
Hanuman Finds Sita	Rhesus macaque Latin: Macaca mulatta
The Monkeys and Bears Build a Bridge to Lanka	Sloth bear Latin: Melursus ursinus Photograph courtesy of Jim Kochis
A Prince Restrains a Rampaging Elephant	Indian elephant Latin: Elephas maximus indicus Photograph courtesy of Andy Whiting
A Lonely Woman among Deer	Black buck antelope Latin: Antelope cervacapra Photograph courtesy of the San Francisco Zoo
Aspects of Violence	Indian hare Latin: Lepus nigricollis Photograph courtesy of David Behrens