“The Mughal miniature paintings of fantastic animals… are mosaics of intertwined animal and human forms. In the Hindu tradition such paintings possibly represent the belief in the internal unity of all beings and illustrate the doctrine of the transmigration of souls through successive reincarnations. It is possible, though precise documentation does not exist, that Arcimboldo was stimulated to experiment with composite figures after seeing Indian miniature paintings on ivories or in books that belonged to the imperial collection of curiosities. In Arcimboldo’s works also, and in the calligraphic Indian portraits of animals, as well as in the interesting and provocative displays of the Wunderkammer, an effort was obviously made to stress the mystical and ambiguous relationship of man to the natural world. It is even possible that Arcimboldo, like the Indian painters, was trying to express a belief in metempsychosis, a popular doctrine of his day and one that almost certainly had appeal for his enigmatic imperial master.”
Arcimboldo Riding a Composite Camel (A JOURNEY ROUND MY SKULL, via Bibliodyssey)