Request for an Illustration from Early German work on Indian myths (F. Wong)

[Allen W Thrasher]

I happen to own an excellent copy of this book, or rather of the illustrations only, nice and flat rather than folded as in the reprint, which I found at an antiques show.  If F. Wong, whom I am carboning, needs a better scan than the GRETIL provides, I can try to make one.  

Could Reinhold elaborate further on the nature of the work and his comment, "it it belies all manner of
assertions about "romantic indology" etc."?

It is interesting to me because some of the iconography seems quite unlike anything else I have seen, but on the other hand the style strikes me as accurately based on contemporary Indian painting styles, though of course transmitted through the European eye of the time.  Also, some of the illustrations seem to be copying damaged originals, showing where the edge has been mutilated, which may indicate either close, scrupulous copying or some cunning deceit.

Could this work have something to do with Freemasonry and other 18th and 19th c. occultist currents?


Allen



Allen W. Thrasher, Ph.D.
Senior Reference Librarian
Team Coordinator
South Asia Team, Asian Division
Library of Congress, Jefferson Building 150
101 Independence Ave., S.E.
Washington, DC 20540-4810
tel. 202-707-3732; fax 202-707-1724; athr at loc.gov
The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Library of Congress.