Untitled (Black Horse)

Jamini Roy, one of India’s nine National Treasure Artists, was born in Bankura, West Bengal, known for its pottery and the creation of clay Bankura horses, so it should be no surprise that Roy turned to the same image when painting in his studio in Calcutta. Nor was the horse the only creature Roy chose to paint—the cat was a favourite, but he also depicted birds. Most of these paintings had flat backgrounds framed by borders within which the toy-like animal was placed in attractive simplicity.