Cleveland Museum of Art

Divine couple seated in a lotus blossom

Date

early 1800s

Medium

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Culture

Northern India, Pahari Region, Himachal Pradesh, Rajput Kingdom of Kangra

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

A gigantic, thousand-petaled lotus flower provides an intimate setting for the lovers. They sit on the seed pod of another full-blown lotus flower, which indicates their transcendent nature by elevating them from the mire of the earth. Shown with full face forward in all white, the four-armed male deity has the all-seeing third eye in his brow and holds only a manuscript. The red goddess on his lap grasps a lotus flower in one hand, which communicates her benign and peaceful nature. At the bottom are offerings of flowers, incense, oil lamps, and jeweled cups of pure water or liquor. The five-part butter lamp at the lower right is lit with flames, and smoke wafts from the censer.

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