In the context of Martyrdom of Saint Thomas (Rubens), explain the Brahmins of the Stylistic Choices.
For the Indian figures, Rubens used the book India Orientalis to guide his portrayal. In the book, Indian Brahmins are described to be in the same shape and proportion of the Europeans, with their only difference being religion and skin tone. They are also describe to walk around almost nude, with cloth covering the groin area and turbans on their heads. Rubens depicted the Brahmins very closely to how they are described in this book, with almost nude muscular shapes and cloth coverings.
Brahmin