India, Mughal / c. 1585; border added probably 1700s
A royal ram with a gold chain
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs A royal ram with a gold chain as painting (India, Mughal · c. 1585; border added probably 1700s).
Sheep with black and white markings like this are called Jacob sheep.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as Gum tempera and gold on paper.
The museum's collection notes: The ram in this painting is a particularly well-groomed animal that was probably kept in the royal menagerie and attended to by special keepers. The puffs of hair on the ram’s back have been colored with henna, and he wears a decorative chain of bells across his chest. The Mughal rulers collected and exhibited specimens of various animals from their territories out of a scientific interest as well as a desire to display the extent of their influence over the land and its inhabitants.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtA royal ram with a gold chainOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.