Picture Details
Banyan leaves and fruit, watercolour on paper.
Partner:
Kew GardensImage reference:
ILLUS153.05/221.0WOrigin:
IndiaArtist / Date:
Unknown, 1800-1830Donor / Date:
1919Size:
403 x 264 mmDescription:
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Sir Gore Ouseley (1770-1844), diplomat and oriental scholar, was appointed major-commandant in the service of his friend Saadut Ali, the nabob vizier of Oudh. Ouseley possessed a valuable collection of oriental manuscripts which he had made in India and Persia, and also a number of botanical illustrations, of which this is one.
Banyan trees figure frequently in Indian religion, and subsequently its art. Its large, flat leaves have appeared on carvings in Besnagar and the Hill of Sanchi from around the 2nd century B.C. and decorated the illustrations of Mughal literature throughout the centuries. Banyan tree was often grown in close proximity with the neem tree, their intertwining branches representing holy union to Hindus. The tree also symbolizes longevity, due to its ability to continually advance outward supported by its aerial roots. In this manner a single tree at the Botanic Gardens in Calcutta has covered 22,000 square metres in a forest of aerial roots.
