LOOK
WHEN YOU
Indian Peafowl
By: Micah Sharples
When you look at the Indian Peafowl, you see a specimen whose identity is controlled by the determined value of its symbolic meanings and feathers.
The Indian Peafowl is often overshadowed by its iconic plumage, leading to a variety of misconceptions regarding the famous bird. The feathers themselves are often depicted in religious artwork, with or without the presence of the bird from which they originate. While they were originally associated with royalty and eternal life, overtime, peacock feathers have come to represent vanity. This is not at all related to the bird itself, but merely our perception of its beautiful feathers.
Since the idea of peafowl is significantly dominated by the image of the male peacock and its plumage, the females become almost invisible compared to their male counterparts. However when the value of the coloring of feathers is looked at from a more scientific perspective, the females, or peahens, could be considered to have the coloring that is significantly more valuable, as their muted colors allow them to hide more easily from predators. This leaves half of the entire species to be defined by something they do not even have. The value and image of the peafowl is deeply entwined in our perception of the peacock feather, leaving little to be known about the species outside of its famous plumage.
“Peacocks and Cave-Heavens.” Imperial Illusions: Crossing Pictorial Boundaries in the Qing Palaces, by KRISTINA KLEUTGHEN, University of Washington Press, Seattle; London, 2015, pp. 143–177. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvcwn72v.10. Accessed 14 Oct. 2020.