BRITISH SCHOOL (EARLY TO MID 19TH CENTURY)
Syah Gosh,
inscribed The Syah Gosh I believe the Lynx (verso)
watercolour within inked drawn lines
37 x 44 cm
The long slender black ears give the animal its name, in India, it is called Siya Gosh, a Persian name that translates as ‘black Ear’ also known as Caracal which comes from the Turkish word ‘karakulak’, also meaning ‘black ears’. The Siya Gosh, has a rich history in India as they have been a favoured pet amongst royalty, next only to the Cheetah. As such, they have featured in Indian paintings dating as far back as the mid-1600s. Wild siya gosh, like the one depicted here, were captured, and trained to hunt game such as kites. In Jaipur, there existed a Cheetah and Caracal/Siya Gosh Training Centre. Rather unlike the tamed dog-like Cheetah, the Siya Gosh turned out to be difficult to train and could never be totally subdued by its owner. One observer wrote “Lynxes [siya gosh] were said to have been kept and trained for hunting, like the hunting-leopard [cheetah],…..;and indeed the character of all is great irritability in confinement, and a mistrust towards their keepers, which is never entirely overcome.”