Keyword: Kingship – Image Gallery
"The First Adventure of the White Horse". The king performed the horse sacrifice in order to determine the extent of his rule. For one year a horse wanders and every land through which the horse passes becomes part of the king’s territory. Arjuna following the horse encountered the son-in-law of the god of fire, Agni, who creates a river of fire to block the warriors. Arjuna pleads with Agni, the god of fire that the horse be allowed to pass, saying that the horse sacrifice is in accordance with sacred Vedic injunctions, and that at the end of the year, the horse will be sacrificed to him, the god of fire himself. (1610-1617)
from: Page from the Khan Khanan's Razm Nama (Book of Wars)
The Cleveland Museum of Art
King Sagara performs a sacrifice (1712)
from: Ramayana, Bala Kanda
British Library, Add. 15295, f.105
The sentinel in the employ of the Shah of Tabaristan prepares to sacrifice his son to the ghost of the Shah’s soul (Mughal India, court of Akbar) (1560)
from: from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Second Night
The Cleveland Museum of Art
An Irish ritual of kingship: the sacrifice of a white mare and preparation of a stew, in which the king bathes and which his supporters ea (ca 1196-1223)
British Library, London [ms Royal 13 B. VIII, fol. 28v]
A king sacrifices an animal in front of the statue of Thor (1639)
RKD – Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis
Emperor Jahangir and Prince Khurram at the gathering for the Feast of the Sacrifice (1615-1625)
from: India
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Islamische Kunst
Queen Kaikeyi reminds King Dasharatha about the sacrifices of King Bali and King Shivi, (c. 1710)
from: folio 39 from the Ayodhya Kanda (Book of Ayodhya) of a Ramayana. Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Mewar, Court of Amar Singh II
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Queen Nzinga sacrifices a man [illustration of Dapper Naukeurige beschrijvinge der Afrikaensche gewesten] (1676)
from: Olfert Dapper, Naukeurige beschrijvinge der Afrikaensche gewesten, Amsterdam, Meurs,1668, p. 238
Scène de sacrifice d'un roi, peut-être le châtiment de Lycurgue (1594-1650)
London, Christie's
Sacrifice of leopards was the prerogative of the king. Captured leopards were sacrified at the annual Igue ceremony. (16th-17th)
from: Benin City, Nigeria [Benin Brass Plaques]