Page 217 - Eye of the beholder

He has shot his arrow at the enemy who is shown behind a tree; who he has pulled out an arrow which is stained with blood from his chest, and his garment equally showing profuse blood on it. His eyes are lowered and his face is rendered considerably darker, with a moustache and a beard and pointed yellow cap on his head.
He wears a bright orange gown that reaches to his calf and clad in high boots. The setting is ambiguous as there is a massive arch seen in the background, a huge rocky outcrop against which Rustom is delineated and smaller rocks, with wild grass growing all around it, seemingly appear behind the arch and hence behind the mighty rock on which a tree is delineated growing out. The branches are strongly emphasized while the foliage is delicately rendered.
The most arresting image is that of the protagonist Rustom, who with dare devil bravery and absolute self confidence has wounded his enemy by the arrow. The face reflects unmistaken determination and his posture riding the horse is that of a seasoned warrior, well cultivated in fighting, while riding. The face represented in near full view has the character of a handsome royalty, with large almond shaped eyes, neat arched brows, an aquiline nose and determined lips, sporting a moustache and full beard. He wears a head gear or a helmet that has the form of a tiger as the ears, eyes and nose manifest that of a fierce animal with a feather in the centre. He wears a knee length tunic that is designed with a central band that goes around his waist painted in light yellow ochre brown. This has been given a different design and appears to be embroidered in a herringbone pattern. At his waist is the quiver filled with arrows. The lower garment constitutes of striped pants and his foot wear is the high boots. The horse is very simply caparisoned without much paraphernalia with just the saddle and a bright orange saddle cloth. The drawing of the horse is well rendered, establishing the fact of the Indian artist having painted this particular folio diligently, having the knowledge of the full rasp of the animal’s body, which made the rendering perfect. The horse has is rendered in subtle shade of purple and outlined in firm black delineating with clarity its trappings and his black mane
While the arrow that has been released has wounded his enemy, Rustom himself gets injured in the process as the rock is lined by spears and one of the spears has pointedly wounded him shown by the blood drops that are falling from under his raised arm.
The artist has successfully shown action in the form of an encounter that has taken place with the protagonist and his enemy being wounded. The horse prancing forth is also wounded in its neck and there is blood which is splattered all around from one of the spears going through its neck as well as the underside of his belly with four spears piercing it and blood gushing out. Apparently Rustom accidently come upon his enemy who laid a crafty trap of spears to consciously injure him and hence successful at it by wounding both the animal and the hero riding it.
Compositionally it has a simple lay out with two figures and minimal representation of the landscape. The dominant focus is on the character of Rustom, which attracts the eye, placed in the near foreground, and his raised left hand provides a visual path to the second figure standing behind a tree. The form and appearance of Rustom has been strikingly based on Persian model to give it authenticity of character and ethnicity, as the Indian artist working for a non Hindu patron had to fulfill the latter’s aspiration of pictorial rendering that reflected Persian qualities. The quality of line undeniably establishes the Indian artist masterly control and his facility in imparting a descriptive as well as a decorative character, which is well established in this painting. The colours are subdued yet have the strength of intensity. The background is rendered in green representing an open space where the encounter has take place.
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