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Shiva, Ardhanãrishvara
ca. 1750-1775Rajput School (1500-1899)
10 x 6 3/4 in. (25.4 x 17.1 cm)
Indian artist
India
Kotah, Rajasthan
Object Type:
Painting
Medium and Support:
Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold paint on thick, fibrous beige paper
Credit Line:
Marion Stratton Gould Fund
Accession Number:
1980.44
Location: Not currently on view
The form of Shiva represented in this work embodies Shiva's role as the unifier of opposites - life/death, creation/destruction, ascetic/erotic, male/female. Ardhanarishvara, or the Lord Whose Half is Woman, is the primordial androgyne and the true form of creative power - male and female in one.
If you look closely at the figure of Shiva seated under the tree, you will notice that the right half has white skin, wears a yellow dhoti, sits on a tiger skin and carries a trident, while the left half has yellow skin, wears a red sari, and sits on lotus petals. The right side represents the male, with common attributes of Shiva, and the left, the female.
The appearance of Shiva in this form is cause for celebration, illustrated by the elephants playing in the river, acrobats performing various feats, and musicians playing music. Even other gods come to pay tribute: Narayana appears with blue skin offering a lotus, and his vahana or vehicle Garuda, the eagle, offers flower garlands. Brahma, the creator (with four faces), also pays homage.
If you look closely at the figure of Shiva seated under the tree, you will notice that the right half has white skin, wears a yellow dhoti, sits on a tiger skin and carries a trident, while the left half has yellow skin, wears a red sari, and sits on lotus petals. The right side represents the male, with common attributes of Shiva, and the left, the female.
The appearance of Shiva in this form is cause for celebration, illustrated by the elephants playing in the river, acrobats performing various feats, and musicians playing music. Even other gods come to pay tribute: Narayana appears with blue skin offering a lotus, and his vahana or vehicle Garuda, the eagle, offers flower garlands. Brahma, the creator (with four faces), also pays homage.
Provenance
Alan J. Abrams, San Geronimo, CA; purchased by the Gallery in 1980
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Additional Images
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Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:
- Manifestations of Shiva Philadelphia Museum of Art 3/29/1981 - 5/30/1982
- Selected Recent Acquisitions 7/6/1982 - 8/15/1982
- Indian Miniature Rotation 2004 - 2005 Memorial Art Gallery 4/19/2004 - 5/2/2005
- Courtly Pleasures: Indian Miniature Paintings from the Permanent Collection 9/9/2016 - 12/31/2016
Bibliography
This object has the following bibliographic references:
- Article Author: Dohanian, Diran Kavork. Article Scope: Article and reproduction. Susan Dodge Peters, ed. Memorial Art Gallery: An Introduction to the Collection. New York, New York: Memorial Art Gallery in association with Hudson Hills Press, 1988. Page Number: 160-161
- Article Title: Permanent Collection. Article Scope: Article and reproduction. Memorial Art Gallery. Gallery Notes. Rochester, New York: Memorial Art Gallery, 1935-1995. Volume Number: 46, Issue Number: 4. Issue Date: December 1980.
- Article Author: Dohanian, Diran Kavork. Article Title: An Unusual Kotah Painting of Shiva, Ardhanarishvara. Article Scope: Article and reproduction. Porticus. Rochester, NY: Memorial Art Gallery Volume Number: 4 Issue Date: 1981. Page Number: 31-34
- Selected Recent Acquisitions. Rochester, NY: Memorial Art Gallery, 1982.
- Article Scope: Entry and reproduction. Stella Kramrisch. Manifestations of Shiva. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1981.
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