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Alfred and Tsering's initial conversation originated from a shared observation about exotic fauna in Western European art, and whether these depictions of birds and animals had been utilised to enhance position and status. Ostensibly, patrons could exploit art to show off their connections to the colonies by the insertion a tropical bird or animal. These commissioned works of art lavishly display the real or fanciful creatures that were taken from the colonies (invariably without showing the colonised*) as tamed playthings or worse, food. By making the people of the colonised country invisible and implying possession of the fauna, thus signifying the land, was this a way of declaring ownership? To show that the colonisers had brought the "wild" to heel?
*While certainly there are many exceptions, it is important to note, that people of colour in Western European art were often depicted either as strange and outlandish or those in servitude, mostly unnamed, while various notable non white historical figures have been (and continue to be) portrayed as white. However, there is a rich history of people of colour in Western European art that is often ignored and the issue of how these works are (or not) displayed is frequently problematic.